Complicated
by yasha012
Summary: Sesshomaru and Kagome are both Juniors in college. Kagome recently transferred to Sesshomaru's school, and his whole life is turned upside down. When they are forced to share a dorm room, things only get worse. Can they learn to get along? And what happens when Sesshomaru starts to fall for her? His personality is slightly different from the show. Not related to Sengoku High.
1. Prologue Part 1: I Hate College

**Prologue Part One: I Hate College…**

Despite what many people seemed to think, he did not enjoy college.

There were too many parties, too many drunken students, too many crazy idiots.

Anyone who ever wanted proof of that simply needed to spend a single day on campus. He could guarantee that by the time the day was over, they would regret being born.

There were many failures at his school. Many high school dropouts and straight 'F' students. Too many lazy idiots.

However, there _were _a few good students here and there.

He was one of them. But he didn't think of himself as anything special. Never had, never would. He honestly thought he was below average.

That was part of the reason why he tried so hard not to be noticed.

Sesshomaru was _the_ best student on campus, despite how he viewed himself. He had the highest grades, the highest test scores, the best attendance, everything.

_So much for not being noticed._

What was worse, he was constantly being followed around by a bunch of women he didn't know, didn't _want_ to know.

They were always trying to get him to go out with them, but he wouldn't.

Truth be told, he'd never had an interest in dating. Even as teenager he'd been like that.

He'd never even had a crush before, let alone fallen in love.

He'd certainly never kissed anyone, and he was _definitely_ still a virgin.

He'd heard some of his "stalkers" tell one another how they wanted to "deflower" him.

He shuddered at the thought.

He silently made his way through the crowd, being _extremely _careful not to touch anyone.

How had this happened, anyway?

He didn't understand how a nice, civilized assembly could turn into _this._

He shook his head in irritation and quickly exited the party.

_'_God_ I hate college…'_

**_A/N This story is not in any way related to Sengoku High._**


	2. Prologue Part 2: It Won't be that Bad

**Prologue Part Two: It Won't be that Bad…**

Kagome sighed softly to herself as she continued to pack.

Why was she doing this?

What had possessed her to switch schools?

_Sango._

_Sango _had convinced her to, saying that she'd be more challenged, have better opportunities.

Plus, she wouldn't be alone.

Sango was her only friend, and they hadn't seen each other once since high school.

But the problem was, she'd gotten fairly used to being by herself. She didn't know if she could handle her energetic friend like she used to.

She had to admit though, she _was_ a bit excited.

With a smile, she looked up at the wall above her desk in the tiny dorm where she'd lived for the past two years.

On the paper was a promise.

_We'll always be friends. Always._

It was a promise she never intended to break.

Her smile widened a little as she continued to pack. Maybe this was a good idea after all.

Sango was right, anyway. She _did _need to be challenged more. While she wasn't a top student or anything, she could definitely still do better than a community college.

Getting into that university might be the best thing she'd ever done.

The only problem was the dorms. There were gender separations of course, but when dorms got crowded the school allowed for coed dorms.

With her luck, she'd end up with some kind of jerk-off guy who'd want to take advantage of every girl he saw.

She shuddered.

That was, unfortunately, a rather big possibility. She'd always felt like she was cursed.

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

_'I need to relax. I'm sure it won't be that bad…'_


	3. Kagome's First Day

"Well Ms. Higurashi, here's your schedule. I trust you chose your electives wisely." The principle Mr. Han said.

"Yes sir, I did." Kagome replied with a small nod.

"Good. Normally the counselor would show you around, but seeing as how she is overwhelmed with other tasks…" His voice trailed off.

Sesshomaru was in another part of the office building. He was paying some lunch money that he owed from the week before. When he was done, he turned and began to walk toward the door. He stopped when he heard the principle's voice calling his name.

"Sesshomaru."

He instantly stopped and turned around.

"You will show Ms. Higurashi to her classes. Make sure to show her the cafeteria, library, and computer lab as well. And don't be late to class." Mr. Han said.

Sesshomaru sighed inwardly.

"Yes sir."

"And Ms. Higurashi," Mr. Han said, turning to Kagome. "I will decide who you will be sharing a dorm with later. Come see me once again once school is over."

When he was done speaking, he turned and went back into his office, closing the door behind him. Kagome blinked, then turned to Sesshomaru. He looked a little annoyed, but beyond that, she couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. He sighed a little.

"Let me see your schedule." He said in a smooth voice.

She handed it to him, and he quickly looked it over.

**Period 1: English _Mr. Tanaka _**

**Period 2: Math **_**Ms. Hana**_

**Period 3: Science **_**Mrs. Kiri**_

**Period 4: P.E. **_**Coach Kahn**_

**LUNCH**

**Period 5: History **_**Ms. Eri**_

**Period 6: Art **_**Mr. Sho**_

**Period 7: Music **_**Mr. Ongaku **_

**11:00 P.M. ALL STUDENTS MUST BE IN DORMS**

He mentally groaned. She had the _exact_ same schedule as him. That was just his luck. He just hoped and prayed that she was different from every other woman at this school. The last thing he needed was another damn stalker. He nearly sighed again. He handed the schedule back to her and gestured for her to follow him.

Kagome nodded and followed closely behind him as he walked outside and toward her first class. It turned out that the English building was on the other side of the school. While they were walking, she began to grow uncomfortable with the silence. She mumbled something and he stopped with a nearly inaudible sigh. He turned around.

"What?" He asked, frowning slightly.

"Oh, um, nothing!" She stammered nervously.

He stared at her quizzically for a moment before turning back around and walking again. Kagome gulped quietly.

'_Whew, that was close. I can't believe I said that out loud!'_

She was a little angry with herself.

'_He's kind of hot…'_

She couldn't believe she'd said that… She sighed inwardly. She was about to start mentally chewing herself out when they finally arrived at the English building. He went to the first door on the right and opened it for her. She walked in and was a little surprised when he followed her in.

'_He must have the same class.'_ She realized as she looked around.

The room was large, and there were huge bookshelves built into the walls. Each shelf was jam-packed with books. Kagome quickly looked at her schedule. The first bell didn't ring for another ten minutes. Almost as soon as she put her schedule away the door opened again and Mr. Tanaka walked in.

"Oh, Sesshomaru. Did you finish the book you borrowed from me yesterday?" He asked.

Sesshomaru nodded and pulled a book out of his messenger bag style backpack. He handed it to Mr. Tanaka, who then put it away on its proper shelf. Once he was done, he turned to Kagome.

"Well now, I believe I have a new student. Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?" He asked.

"Kagome Higurashi, sir." She replied.

"Well Kagome, I certainly hope you're good in English. This is an honors class, after all."

She froze.

_'HONORS?! Oh-no… I was supposed to be put into REGULAR classes! I'm doomed…'_

Before she had a chance to say anything, Mr. Tanaka began to speak again.

"Now, about your seat…"

He seemed to think for a moment.

"I have an idea. Why don't you sit in the far right row, two seats from the back?"

"Okay."

She looked over at the row and quickly located her seat. Sesshomaru was sitting in the seat all the way in the back directly behind hers writing something down on a piece of paper. She took her seat and quickly stole a glance at him. It looked like an essay… She quickly turned back to the front of the room to avoid being caught looking at him. She looked at the white board and was surprised to see an essay listed under "Long-term Homework Assignments". It was a research essay where the student was able to choose the topic. It had been assigned less than a week ago and wasn't due for another three weeks. She glanced back at him again.

_'He's definitely working on the essay. Guess he's a pretty good student. Plus he's good looking…'_

She mentally slapped herself.

_'Bad Kagome, bad! Stop thinking like that!'_

Kagome had recently terminated her relationship with her boyfriend that she'd had since high school, and she wasn't ready for another man to enter her life. At least, not like _that._ Besides, it wasn't like she liked him or anything. Just because he was hot didn't mean she liked him. And not only that, but she was sure he already had a girlfriend. There was no way a guy like him would be able to stay single for long. She highly doubted he was even still a virgin… Shaking those thought from her mind, she focused on the front of the room. The bell had just rung, and class would begin shortly. People began pouring into the room and quickly got seated. A girl with long black hair sat in front of her. The girl suddenly turned to her.

"Hey, you're new here aren't you?" She asked.

Kagome just nodded.

"My name's Kikyo. What's yours?"

"Kagome."

"Kagome? That's an odd name."

"Odd?"

Kikyo seemed to ignore her and continued talking.

"By the way, see that boy in the back?" She asked sweetly.

"Yeah. What about him?" Kagome asked.

"He's _mine._" Kikyo practically snarled.

Sesshomaru instantly stopped writing and looked up at Kikyo. He looked very irritated.

"I have explained this to you before. We are _not_ dating, never have dated, and never _will_ date. I don't belong to anyone, least of all you." He said with a frown.

Without another word, he looked down and began working on his essay again. He was still frowning.

'_Damn women… Why can't they just leave me alone? What will it take for them to realize that I'm _not_ interested?'_

Kikyo stared at him wide eyed.

"Ugh! MEN!" She exclaimed, spinning around in her seat.

Kagome inwardly sighed. She really hated girls like Kikyo. Even though she barely knew him, she still felt a little bad for Sesshomaru. It seemed like this was a fairly regular thing.

_'That has to get annoying after a while…'_

The teacher lectured all period long, and no new homework was given. Thankfully, Kagome was excused from having to do the essay. After class was over, Sesshomaru lead the way to her next class.

_'Math… I hate math…'_

Kagome had to admit, she was pretty nervous. Math had always been her _worst_ subject.

_'Why must math be so hard…?'_

She glanced up at Sesshomaru. He was still walking silently ahead of her.

'_I wonder if he's in the same class? If he is, maybe he can help me! He seems pretty smart. Wait, why would he want to help _me_?'_

She sighed out loud. Sesshomaru heard her and he nearly turned around to see what was bothering her. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was the fact that he refused to be late for class. Besides, he knew she probably had friends or family she could talk to about it later. He was sure they'd be able to help her better than he would. He hardly knew her… Really the only thing he knew about her was her name.

_Kagome._

It was a nice name, really. He didn't know how anyone could call it odd. He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when he realized they'd made it to the math building.

'_Finally! Why do these walks seem so long?' _Kagome wondered as she walked inside.

She was once again surprised when Sesshomaru walked in behind her.

"You have this class, too?" She asked.

He nodded and headed toward his seat. His seat was in the middle row, three seats from the front. She had no idea where her seat was. When Ms. Hana saw her, she gestured for her to come over to her desk.

"Ms. Higurashi, I believe?" Ms. Hana asked.

"Yes ma'am." Kagome replied.

"You will be seated next to Sesshomaru, on the left side."

"Okay."

She turned around and quickly walked to her seat. The bell rang shortly after. She found herself near panic about halfway through the period.

_'Oh-no! This is an honors class too! I'm doomed! DOOMED!'_

She was lost in thought trying to figure out what to do when the bell suddenly rang. She quickly gathered her things and followed Sesshomaru out the door.

'_Thank goodness there was no homework… That probably won't last long.'_

After Math was Science with Mrs. Kiri. Sesshomaru sat on the far left side of the room in the back, while Kagome sat toward the middle in the front. She felt isolated and completely vulnerable. She hadn't realized how much she'd been depending on him to feel comfortable. While he didn't talk to her much, he was still nice to her, which was more than she could say for most other men in her life. They were given a small packet to do for homework, and Kagome heaved a silent sigh of relief when she realized she could do it. Honors Science wasn't too much harder than regular Science, it seemed. So far, at least. After Science was P.E. with Coach Kahn. Sesshomaru had P.E. the same period, but Kagome knew that they would be separated. There was no such thing as coed P.E. at this school. He showed her where the girls locker rooms were, then headed over to the boys locker rooms. She didn't see him the whole period. It turned out that the boys were all outside while the girls had the gym. They alternated every few weeks. When lunch finally came around, Sesshomaru showed her where the cafeteria was. He didn't go inside with her, but she didn't really mind. She was pretty sure she could handle this herself. Besides, she was hoping to finally see Sango. When she finally spotted her, she waved her over. Sango quickly joined her in the lunch line and gave her an excited hug.

"Kagome! I can't believe you're here!" Sango exclaimed happily. "I thought you backed out on me!"

"I almost did." Kagome admitted.

After that, Sango asked about her day, her schedule, what she thought of the school so far, and a bunch of other things. Kagome answered all of her friend's questions, then she told her about her escort.

"So far I have the _exact_ same schedule as him. Pretty weird, huh? I mean, what're the chances of that?" Kagome said.

""Yeah, that is kinda weird." Sango agreed. "So what do you think of him so far?"

"I don't know." Kagome said thoughtfully. "He's so quiet, and I don't really know much about him."

Suddenly remembering, Kagome told Sango about what happened with Kikyo in English. Sango rolled her eyes.

"Kikyo's such a priss. She thinks that he's her boyfriend even though he's not. I don't know why she thinks anyone would _want _to be. She's a known stalker."

"She stalks him?"

"Yeah. Just about every girl does. I don't get why, though. I mean, it doesn't really take a genius to tell that he's not interested."

"Why isn't he interested? Does he already have a girlfriend?"

Sango shrugged.

"I don't know. Doubt it."

"I'm sure he does, Sango. There's no _way_ a guy like him can still be single."

"Agreed."

After showing Kagome where the lunchroom was, Sesshomaru walked over to the courtyard in the center of the school. When he got there, he sat down at one of the tables and pulled out a journal. He quickly grabbed a pencil and began working on the story he'd been writing for the past few weeks. After about ten minutes, he stopped when he heard someone come up behind him.

"What the hell was that?!" Kikyo demanded, clearly talking about their conversation in English.

"The truth." He replied simply, not even bothering to turn around and face her.

Suddenly remembering what he'd been doing prior to this, he closed his journal. Kikyo didn't even notice.

"The _truth_?! What the hell does that mean?!" She yelled.

"I believe it was self-explanatory." He replied, his voice smooth, almost emotionless.

"How about elaborating for those less intelligent than you!" Kikyo yelled, her anger seeming to rise.

Sesshomaru turned around and glared at her.

"As I've said before, I am _not_ your boyfriend. I never have been and never will be." He said coldly.

_'I've had more than enough of this…'_

Sesshomaru had been dealing with this for nearly a full year, and he'd had more than enough of it. Previously, he'd been concerned with her feelings, about being to harsh, but now he didn't care. She was getting out of hand. And he was _so _sick of her.

"But… W-we went on a date!" Kikyo exclaimed, disbelief evident in her voice.

"I hardly think that you following me to the park and sitting with me when I told you repeatedly not to qualifies as a date." He replied, knowing _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"B-But…" She said, teary-eyed.

Suddenly, her anger flared again, and he braced himself for a lot of yelling.

"Sesshomaru, I don't care _how _hot, fit, and smart you are! You and I are _THROUGH!_" She screamed before spinning around and stomping away.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to his journal.

'_Thank god _that's _over with. Maybe now all those girls will leave me alone…'_

He was just about to start writing again when the bell suddenly rang. He sighed. He'd really been hoping to be able to write more… He quickly put his journal and pencil away and put his backpack back on, with the bag itself resting on his right hip. He was about to head to class, when he suddenly remember something.

_Kagome._

He sighed again. This was just great. Now he needed to find her so he could show her where her next class was. He just hoped it wouldn't make him late.

When the bell rang, Kagome quickly said goodbye to Sango and headed back outside. She scanned the crowds, looking for any sign of Sesshomaru. She was relieved when she saw him walking over to her.

"So History is next right?" She asked as she began to follow him.

He nodded.

"Do you have that class too?"

He nodded again.

'_Wow. He's really not a man of many words, is he? I wonder why he's so quiet? It really doesn't seem like the shy kind of quiet. But then again, how would I know how he would express shyness? Not that I'm saying he's shy…'_

Her thoughts slowly trailed off as they reached the history building. Ms. Eri placed her in the very back, right behind Sesshomaru in the middle row. History bored her to death, and she mentally groaned when they received notes for homework. When history was finally over, Sesshomaru led the way Art.

'_Finally! Something I can do!' _ Kagome thought happily.

While she wasn't an amazing artist, Kagome was certainly very capable of producing a decent picture. Mr. Sho told her just to sit wherever there was an empty seat, since there was no set seating chart. There were table groups in that class, and Sesshomaru's was full. She wasn't at all surprised when she saw that the other three chairs at his table where filled by girls who clearly thought the world revolved around them and the supposed "beauty". She laughed a little when she saw him. He seemed to be ignoring them like his life was depending on it. Stifling further giggles, she looked around for a seat. She found one that was near Sesshomaru's and quickly sat in it before someone else could. She was relieved to find out that there was no homework in this class, and she couldn't help but smile.

_'It's official. I love this class.'_

She was a little disappointed when the bell rang and they had to go. She quickly followed Sesshomaru outside and walked next to him as they headed for their final class.

"Do you have music too?" She asked, genuinely curious.

He nodded.

"What instrument do you play?" She asked.

"Several." He replied simply.

"Which ones?"

He glanced at her curiously.

"Why does it matter?" He asked.

Kagome shrugged.

"Just curious." She said.

When he didn't respond, she asked again.

"Come on! Tell me! Please?"

He sighed, finally giving in. He couldn't say no to those damned puppy eyes…

"The piano, guitar, flute, and violin." He finally answered.

Kagome's eyes widened.

"Wow… That must have taken a long time to learn."

He shrugged.

"Not really."

"I play the guitar too. Just an acoustic, though."

He blinked. He wouldn't have guessed that she played the guitar. He'd honestly thought she played something else. He wasn't sure what. Violin, maybe? He didn't know.

"I sing a little too, but I don't think I'm that great at it. I need to save some money and take some classes…"

She continued talking until they reached the music room. While he didn't usually respond, he did listen to her. He knew it would be rude not to. Besides, some of the things she said were pretty interesting. He'd had no idea she grew up on a shrine. That was certainly unusual. She got quiet again when they reached the music room. He opened the door and led the way inside. They walked through a narrow hallway and into a large room. The room looked like a multi-purpose room. It had a stage, music stands, tons of instruments, and a bunch of chairs arranged in neat rows. There were around ten chairs in each row, and there were six rows. She was a little confused when she saw that the teacher wasn't there. Sesshomaru let out an irritated sigh.

"Where's the teacher at?" Kagome asked, looking around.

"He's always late…" Sesshomaru replied, walking over to the front row and sitting in the first chair in the front row.

"So, um, are there assigned seats?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"No, but I wouldn't recommend sitting in the back rows. There are a lot of… _rude _people there."

"Oh, okay."

Kagome inwardly fist-pumped.

'_That's the most he's talked to me all day! What an achievement.'_

She nearly laughed at her own sarcasm. She shook her head lightly, forcing herself out of her thoughts.

"Um… Is it alright if I sit next to you? You're kinda the only person I know, and I don't like being surrounded by strangers…" She said awkwardly.

He nodded without even thinking. He knew _exactly_ how that felt. Besides, he really didn't have any reason to say no. She hadn't given him any reason to dislike her yet, which was certainly an achievement. Most women annoyed the hell out of him, but he found it surprisingly easy to tolerate her. Besides, he'd rather have her sit there than one his many stalkers that were unfortunately in this class. Kagome smiled gratefully and sat down next to him. Not long afterward, class began. Kagome was given a guitar to borrow in class, and she was honestly a bit surprised at how new it looked. Mr. Ongaku had warned her to be careful with it, saying it was old. And yet, when she looked at it, it seemed as though it had only been purchased a year ago. If even that. Eventually, the bell rang and school was over. Sesshomaru was about to leave when he was stopped by Kagome's voice. He turned to her.

"Um, would you mind walking with me to the office? I don't really remember where it is…" She asked nervously.

He blinked, then nodded. She sighed softly in relief and followed him outside. They walked in silence all the way to the office. They went inside, and he directed her to the principle's office. He watched as she knocked on the door, and decided to wait for her. He had a feeling that she didn't know where the dorms were either… The principle's voice sounded through the door, and she went inside.

"Oh, Kagome. You're here about the dorms, yes?" Mr. Han asked, looking up from his paper work.

Kagome nodded.'

"Yes sir." She replied.

"Let's see here…"

Mr. Han began looking over some papers. After a few moments, he turned his attention to her.

"Well, it seems that all the female dorms are full, which means you'll be in a coed dorm." He said.

'_Great… How did I know this was going to happen?'_ Kagome thought exasperatedly.

"Oh, it seems you're in luck!" Mr. Han exclaimed.

"Really?" Kagome asked. "How?"

"Your escort is the only one without a roommate. You're fortunate to be sharing a dorm with someone you know."

"Really?! Thank you!" Kagome exclaimed happily.

"I don't suppose he's here with you? If he is, I'd like to speak with him."

"Yes sir. I'll send him in."

After that, she quickly exited the room. She was relieved to see that Sesshomaru was still there waiting for her.

"Um, Mr. Han wants to speak with you." She said nervously.

He nodded and went inside, closing the door behind him.

"Sesshomaru, I trust that you showed her to all of her classes?" Mr. Han said.

He nodded.

"Good. Now you're well aware of the fact that we allow for coed dorms here, right?"

He nodded again.

"Well seeing as how all the female dorms are full, you will have to share a dorm with Kagome for the time being. I don't know whether this arrangement is permanent or not as of yet. Alright?"

Sesshomaru just nodded again. Mr. Han dismissed him, and he exited the room, resisting the urge to sigh. So much for having a nice, quiet, _private_ dorm to retreat to… He quickly located Kagome and led the way to the dormitory. They walked inside and walked passed the mailboxes. Kagome noticed that they each assigned to specific room. Sesshomaru didn't even bother to check his, and walked down a hallway. She followed closely behind him. At the end of the hall, rather than turning down another hall, they went up the stairs. They walked up to the third and final floor and down another hall. They finally stopped at a door at the very end of the hall. It was labeled **Room 336**. Sesshomaru pulled a small key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He opened it and let her walk in. He followed her in and closed the door. He put his key back in his pocket and grabbed the other key off of a small table. He handed it to her, and she smiled gratefully. Afterwards, she looked around. Not surprisingly, it was rather small. But it wasn't a one-bedroom dorm like she'd thought it would be. It had a small living room, a bathroom, two bedrooms, even a small kitchen. Sesshomaru walked down the tiny hall and went through the door on the right. Kagome quickly realized that that was his room. The door at the end of the hall led to the bathroom. Through the process of elimination, Kagome was able to figure out that the door on the left led to her bedroom. She walked inside and looked around. Not surprisingly, it was empty except for a small bed. She pulled out her phone and quickly texted her mother.

**Kagome:**

_Mom, I'll pick up my things from your house tomorrow, okay?_

A few minutes later, she got a reply.

**Mom:**

_Okay, sweetie._

Kagome smiled.

'_Even though all my classes are honors, t__oday really wasn't that bad.'_ She thought as she started on her homework.

At around ten o'clock, she finished her homework and went out to the kitchen to get some water. She got her drink and quickly washed her dish. She passed through the living room and saw Sesshomaru sitting on the couch reading a book.

"Good night." She said quietly with a smile.

He glanced up at her.

"Night."

After that, she went to her room and went to bed.


	4. Getting Curious

Kagome woke up the next morning to the sound of movement in the kitchen. She sat up rubbing her eyes and sleepily got up. She quickly got dressed and went out to the kitchen. She was surprised to see Sesshomaru there making scrambled eggs.

"You cook?" She asked.

Without turning around, he nodded. She hesitated for a moment.

"May I have some?" She asked nervously.

He nodded again. He'd already been planning on making her some anyway. The fact that he didn't want to share a dorm wasn't any kind of an excuse to ignore her and make her fend for herself. Everything in the kitchen had to be cooked. There wasn't canned food, or cereal, or anything easy like that. Besides the eggs, of course. It wasn't like sharing a dorm was her idea, anyway. Mr. Han had decided, and there was nothing either of them could do about it. A couple minutes later, the eggs were done. He made them each a plate and handed one to Kagome. Kagome smiled gratefully at him, and he gave a tiny nod in response. Kagome took one bite and instantly fell in love.

"Oh _wow!_ These are _good!_"

He blinked in surprise as he watched her shovel the eggs into her mouth. He honestly didn't think they were that great… Kagome finished a moment later and quickly washed her dishes. After that, she went back to her room to finish getting ready. He blinked again and stared at her door for a moment before finishing his eggs. When he was finished, he washed his dishes, the frying pan, and the spatula, dried them, and put them away. Once that was done, he put away the remaining eggs, the milk, and the butter. After that, he went to his room, grabbed his backpack, went to the living room, and waited for Kagome to finish getting ready so they could leave.

As soon as Kagome went to her room, she grabbed her hairbrush. It took a few minutes, but she did eventually manage to get all the tangles out of her hair. After that, she put on her shoes and grabbed her backpack. She quickly put it on and walked out into the living room. Sesshomaru was sitting on the couch waiting. Without a word, he stood up and led the way out of the dorm. He locked the door behind them, and she quickly made sure she had her key. Once she was sure she had it, she quickly ran and caught up to Sesshomaru, who had already started walking. He looked like he was deep in thought. She looked at him for a moment, studying his face. He had an almost unnoticeable frown on his face, and she wondered why.

_'I wonder what he's thinking about? It's probably important, otherwise he wouldn't be thinking about it. At least, not so deeply. It can't be just a random, idle thought. …Could it? Wait, why do I even care?'_

She shook her head lightly, shooing her thoughts away. It wasn't any her business, anyway. Besides, she was certain he had a friend somewhere or a close family member he could talk to if it was really bothering him that much.

'_But then again… The only person he talked to yesterday besides me was Kikyo, and it's pretty obvious that he doesn't like her at _all._ Maybe his friend was just absent.'_

She rather liked that explanation. She couldn't bring herself to even consider the explanation that he didn't have any friends. He was so nice and smart… He _had _to have at least _one_ friend.

_'Plus he has family. Even people who have bad families have at least one relative they can talk to.'_

By the time she'd snapped out of her thoughts, they were already out of the dormitory and headed to English. Kagome, suddenly feeling bored, decided to break the silence.

"So did you borrow another book from Mr. Tanaka?" She asked.

He shook his head a tiny bit. He didn't seem to be so lost in thought anymore.

"What was the one you borrowed last time?"

"Tears of Blood." He responded simply.

"Wow. That sounds kind of dark… What's it about?" She asked, feeling a bit curious.

"Why does it matter?" He asked, glancing at her.

"I don't know. I'm just curious, that's all."

He looked at her for a moment longer, before returning his attention to the path ahead of him. Just when she thought he wasn't going to respond, he surprised her by answering her question.

"It's about a girl who was created in a lab and how she struggles to find a her place in the world while trying to overcome her past." He replied shortly.

"Wow… That seems like a really good book."

He nodded.

"Maybe I should borrow it sometime." Kagome said with a smile.

He glanced at her again, but said nothing. A few minutes later, they made it to Mr. Tanaka's class. When they walked in, Kagome was surprised to see that the room was empty. She glanced at the clock and quickly figured out why. They were early. Again. She shrugged lightly to herself, not really minding. She kind of liked it, actually. It was really peaceful for some reason, and she enjoyed it. She watched as Sesshomaru silently took his seat before walking over and sitting down herself. Sesshomaru, just like before, busied himself by working on some assignment that she was sure wasn't due for a while. After a few minutes of just sitting around being bored, she pulled out a piece of paper and began to doodle. She ended up filling the whole page (front and back) with doodles by the time the bell rang. When it did, she crumpled it up and quickly threw it away. After that, she went back over to her seat and sat back down again. Sesshomaru didn't even seem to notice that she'd moved. He was still working on… whatever it was he'd been working on for the past ten or so minutes. It didn't take long for people to start showing up. Kikyo refused to acknowledge either of them, and Kagome couldn't help but feel relieved. She honestly didn't want to deal with her again today. Or _ever_ for that matter. She noticed that Sesshomaru seemed to be enjoying it as well, and she smiled. After that, she turned back toward the front of the room and forced herself to pay attention.

It seemed like only minutes before class was over. They were given a packet for homework, and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was something she could do. When the bell rang, she quickly gathered her things and followed Sesshomaru out of the room. She sighed inwardly. She'd been dreading second period all morning… Unfortunately, it only took a couple of minutes to reach Ms. Hana's room. They both quickly took their seats, and she noticed that he looked like he was dreading something as well. And he was. Much like Kagome, he'd been dreading this class. Not for the same reason as her though, of course. The reason was simply that most of his stalkers were in this class, and he'd always hated being anywhere near them. Not long after they arrived, several of his stalkers appeared. There were still a few minutes until class began, so of _course_ they stood around him and attempted to flirt. He nearly groaned.

There were three of them today. One of them sat down on his desk, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she gave him a look that would have easily seduced most men. _Most_ men. But not him. Never him. The other two stood around him and talked about things he didn't care about, things that didn't even matter. They talked on and on about their hair, about their makeup (which he noticed they were once again wearing _way_ too much of), their clothes, and many other trivial things that he had absolutely no interest in. He wrinkled his nose slightly, trying to ignore the sickening smell of their perfume. Suddenly, the girl on his desk began to speak again. Her voice was shrill and high-pitched, making it all that much harder for him to ignore her.

"You know, you're pretty damn hot." She said, giving him another one of those looks.

He, of course, was unaffected by it.

"Agree to disagree." He said simply, still looking past her at the white board.

He was trying to distract himself from them by reading and rereading everything on the board. After doing this at least six times, he finally admitted that it wasn't working.

'_Why must their voices be so loud?' _ He wondered in irritation.

One of the other girls, the one standing to his right, piped up suddenly.

"It's true, you know." She said slowly, as if she were talking to a child. "I could get lost in those eyes of yours."

Said eyes narrowed dangerously. Suddenly, he wasn't in such a great mood. The girl to his left spoke next, further worsening his mood.

"And that hair… I've always wanted to touch it." She said.

Immediately, she reached forward to try to do just that. His eyes flashed and he quickly stopped her.

"Do _not_ touch me." He said, his voice icy.

He _hated _being touched. Hated it with a passion. He refused to let _anyone_ touch him, especially them. Despite his sudden cold, irritated attitude, the girls continued to bother him. Nothing he said or did seemed to be enough to make them realize that he wanted them to leave.

Kagome had been watching the whole time, and she instantly noticed when his mood shifted. The girls, of course, were oblivious and to this and continued to try to make advances on him. She couldn't help but notice how icy his voice became when that girl had tried to touch him. Physical contact, it seemed, was a _major_ taboo for him.

_'I wonder why…'_

Sesshomaru wanted to escape. He wanted so badly to be able to get away from them, but he couldn't. He was trapped on all sides…

_'Damn…'_

He hated them all _so_ much right now… More so than usual. And that was saying something. Kagome could tell that things were getting out of hand, and she wanted to do something. But the problem was, she didn't know what to do. After a few moments, she finally couldn't stay silent any longer.

"Will you three give it a rest already? Can't you tell that you're irritating the hell out of him?" She said, standing up and boldly facing them.

"Who the hell are you?" The blonde asked in surprise.

The girls were all glaring at her, while Sesshomaru looked at her with shock and confusion clearly showing in his eyes. Kagome ignored the glares she was receiving and continued talking.

"What does it matter who I am? What matters is the fact that he's _not _interested in _any_ of you! It doesn't take a genius to see that! Just leave him alone already!"

The girls all stared at her in shock, and Sesshomaru found himself feeling just as shocked. No one had ever stood up for him like that before… A moment later, the blonde girl huffed and got off his desk.

"Whatever. Who'd want a dick like you anyway?" She said, glaring at him furiously.

He glared back at her, and the girl visibly shuddered. Kagome nearly did the same. His gaze chilled her to the bone. The blonde girl whirled around and stalked away, her two friends following closely behind her. Kagome nodded in satisfaction and returned to her seat. Sesshomaru blinked, slowly getting over his shock at what just happened.

"Thanks." He said quietly after a moment, looking down at his desk.

Kagome smiled.

"You're welcome." She replied warmly.

After Math was over, they gathered up their things and began to walk over to Science. Sesshomaru hadn't said anything since his short thank you, but it didn't seem like his usual kind of quiet. It seemed more like a confused silence. And he was most definitely confused. Why had she stood up for him? He didn't understand it. He didn't understand it at all… He was slightly relieved when they made it to Science. He sat in his seat on one side of the room and she sat in her seat in the middle of the room. He was a thankful for separation, however brief it was. It helped to calm the confusion he felt. Nothing significant happened in Science, and before either of them knew it, the bell was ringing for everyone to head to fourth period. Today, for whatever reason, everyone was in the gym. Boys and girls. Or at least, that was where they started out. Kagome was standing in her designated spot for roll call, and she almost missed it when Coach Kahn called her name. She'd been so focused on trying to locate Sesshomaru… Eventually, everyone was released onto the tennis courts. She was relieved when they were told that they could choose their own partners. It took a few moments, but Kagome finally managed to locate Sesshomaru. She blinked in surprise. He looked damn good in shorts. The required P.E. uniform was a plain white or gray T-shirt and black shorts. He had a gray shirt and knee-length shorts on, and she had to force herself not to stare. This was the first time she'd seen so much of his skin exposed. He normally wore long-sleeved shirts and pants, never T-shirts and shorts. He didn't look very muscled, but she could see the strength hidden under his skin. And his skin looked so smooth… She shook her head, willing her thoughts away, and approached him. She tapped him on the shoulder and he quickly turned around, clearly expecting to see another one of his stalkers. He visibly relaxed when he realized it was just her. He looked a bit relieved.

"So… Want to be partners?" She asked with a smile.

He nodded. Though he didn't smile, she couldn't help but think that his eyes had brightened a little. After a long and exhausting tennis match, Kagome was more than ready for lunch. Sesshomaru looked a bit hungry too. Sango had told her the day before that he never ate anything at lunch. She'd quickly corrected herself however, and said that he did eat on rare occasions, but that he hardly touched his food. One time he'd apparently surprised her and eaten nearly half a hamburger and several fries. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Kagome quickly finished changing. As soon as she was done she stepped outside, found Sesshomaru, and waited for the bell to ring. While they were waiting, Kagome talked.

"You're pretty good at tennis." She said.

He just shrugged, not really seeming to agree. Kagome remembered his comment earlier when that girl had called him hot.

_Agree to disagree._

Shrugging it off, she continued to talk. He didn't mind really, and listened to her quietly. He didn't respond verbally, though he did occasionally reply in other ways. When the bell finally rang, Kagome started to head for the cafeteria. He was about to head over to his usual spot at the courtyard in center of the school when Kagome stopped him.

"Why don't you come with me? I know you're hungry. You barely ate anything this morning, and there's no way that you're feeling full after all that exercise." She said, her eyes warm and inviting.

"Come on, it won't kill you."

He sighed softly before reluctantly following her to the cafeteria. He had to admit though, he _was_ a bit hungry. But what he didn't understand was why she cared. It wasn't like it affected her in any way… Kagome was wondering the same thing. It didn't take her long to settle on an answer.

'_He's my friend,'_ she thought. _'It's only natural for me to worry about him.'_

A few minutes later, they walked into the cafeteria. Kagome quickly located Sango and led the way over to her.

"Hey Sango!" She said happily.

"Hello!" Sango replied.

It took her about two seconds to realize who Kagome had dragged along with her, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Hello Sesshomaru." She said warmly.

He nodded slightly in greeting, but didn't look up from the ground. Kagome was a little confused by this. He was acting… almost… _shy._ Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she led the way to the lunch line. She and Sango talked the whole time, each of them trying to include Sesshomaru as much as they could. It didn't take long to get through the lunch line, and they quickly got their food. As soon as they did, Sango led the way to a table. Kagome smiled a tiny bit when she realized that Sesshomaru sat down by her and not Sango. He hadn't done it because he didn't like Sango, it was just that he didn't really know her, and he'd never been comfortable being near people he didn't know. With Kagome, it was…. different. It was different for some reason, and he didn't know what that reason was. There was just something about her… Something about her made him feel comfortable, accepted, safe even. He didn't get it. He didn't get it at all. Doing his best to ignore the way she was smiling at him, he began to eat his lunch. Kagome and Sango began talking again, and Kagome told Sango everything that had happened since they'd seen each other last.

"You two are sharing a dorm?" Sango asked once Kagome was finished.

She didn't seem at all affected by the news, and that surprised Kagome a bit. Back in high school, Sango would have been _all over_ her, trying to find out _everything._ But that was high school, this was now. After all, people change over time. It seemed Sango was no different. Kagome nodded in response to her friend's question.

"Yeah. Mr. Han said he doesn't know if it's permanent though."

Sesshomaru blinked at that, but didn't say anything. This was entirely new information. Why hadn't he been told? He inwardly shrugged it off, not really caring that much. If it was permanent, so be it. If it wasn't… well, it just wasn't. He didn't really care either. Sure he didn't want to share a dorm, but she wasn't hurting anything by being there. And besides, she was surprisingly easy to tolerate.

'_Unlike some people…'_ He thought, deeply wishing that all his damned stalkers would vanish from the face of the earth.

Of course, he knew that was never going to happen. But it didn't hurt to dream. Even when his dream was completely illogical and utterly impossible. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Kagome speaking again.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" She said excitedly, still talking to Sango.

"What?"

"I found a place where I can take singing lessons! It's really cheap there, and the teacher has _never_ failed to make someone an amazing singer!"

"That's awesome!"

"I know, right?!"

"So how did you find out about this place?"

"I actually met the teacher on accident."

"Really? Where? What happened?"

"I met him the day before I actually started school here. I was walking to the bookstore to pick up a book on how to teach yourself to sing, and that's when it happened."

**FLASHBACK**

"This looks like a good book." Kagome said, quickly skimming through the pages and examining its contents.

She nearly jumped when a friendly male voice sounded next to her.

"You're interested in singing, huh?"

She turned and looked at him. He had light brown hair that was nearly long enough to touch his dark blue eyes. He had black-rimmed glasses on. He wore a white, long sleeved, button up shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He was smiling, almost as if he were talking to an old friend. She didn't hesitate to respond, being as friendly and social as she was.

"Yeah, but I'm not very good at it. I've been trying to learn for years, but seeing as how I can't afford a class, this is the next best thing." She said.

"I'm a singer as well, and I must confess that I have never met a person who couldn't sing." He said, still smiling softly.

"Well, now you have." She replied, finally returning his smile.

"I don't believe I have."

She grew confused.

"I have a singing class nearby, and I have never once encountered a student I couldn't teach. You see, everyone has the _ability_ to sing well, but not everyone possesses the knowledge of _how._"

At this, Kagome smiled wider.

"I suppose that's true." She mused. "But I still can't afford it."

"I believe you can."

"What makes you so sure?"

"It's only five dollars a class. No extra fees, no hidden charges."

"Wait, are you serious?"

Now it was his turn to smile wider.

"Indeed I am." He said with a slight nod.

"Wow… That's… That's… _incredible_!" She exclaimed happily.

Before she knew it, she was holding a piece of paper containing the address where the class was located and the times it went on in her hand.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Tanoshi." He said, extending a hand.

"Kagome." She replied with a smile as she shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I assure you, the pleasure's all mine." He said before waving goodbye to her and walking away.

**END FLASHBACK**

"Wow, he seems really sophisticated, and, well, _smart._" Sango said.

Kagome grinned.

"He is. Oh, and one more thing."

"What?"

"He goes to this school."

"No way!"

"Really! He does!"

"That's so cool!"

When the bell rang, Kagome was disappointed to see that Sesshomaru had, true to Sango's word, barely touched his food. After saying goodbye to Sango, they headed off to History. Once outside, she spoke.

"Why didn't you eat? I know you're hungry." Kagome said in a slightly demanding way.

"I did eat." He replied, not even looking at her.

"You took like two bites." Kagome retorted.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and didn't respond.

"Why are you starving yourself?" She asked.

"I'm not." He replied.

Kagome honestly wasn't trying to be mean, but she was genuinely concerned about him. There was no way that that was healthy…

"What concern is it of yours, anyway? It's not like it effects you at all." He said, feeling a bit confused.

"We're friends, aren't we? Friends care about each other." She responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

At this, he grew even more confused. _Friends?_ He'd never had a single friend before in his life. Never. He'd always been alone, and by now he'd learned to accept it. Like it, even. When he was alone, he was safe. He never had to worry about someone turning on him, betraying his trust. Not that he trusted anyone. But even so…

Nothing else significant happened until after school when Kagome went over to her mother's house to get her few things that were in her old room. She ended up staying a while to visit and have dinner with her family, and she nearly agreed to stay the night. Thankfully, she remembered that she had school in the morning before that happened. Reluctantly, she declined. After her extended visit was over, her mother drove her back home. They said goodbye and she quickly headed inside. Not surprisingly, the dormitory hallways were crowded with people. It hadn't taken her long to figure that no one really liked to stay in their dorms. No one besides Sesshomaru, that is. She wondered why, but she really didn't feel like asking. It was nearly ten o'clock at night, she was tired, she had homework to do, and, to top it all off, she was hungry again. In short, she wasn't in the mood for questioning her roommate at the moment.

Maybe tomorrow.

**A/N By the way, Sesshomaru doesn't have the stripes on his cheeks, wrists or above his eyes, and he doesn't have the crescent moon marking either. Also, Tanoshi may seem like a weird name, but I chose it because it means "pleasant".**


	5. The Weekend

Nothing really significant happened the rest of the week, and before anyone knew it the weekend had arrived. Kagome got up at nine o'clock Saturday morning. She'd made plans to spend the day with Sango. Well, most of the day that is. At five she was scheduled to start her singing classes with Tanoshi. He'd told her that it would end at about nine or so. She was really looking forward to it, and had been talking about it nonstop all week long. She was surprised that Sesshomaru hadn't said anything yet.

It had gotten a bit annoying to hear her talking about it so often, but he refused to say anything. She was really excited, and he didn't want to ruin that. Though honestly, he wasn't entirely sure why he cared. But even so…

When Kagome was finished eating she quickly went into her room, brushed her hair, put on her shoes, went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, went back to her room, and grabbed her phone. She walked back into the living room, expecting to see Sesshomaru on the couch reading, and was surprised when he wasn't there. She shrugged. Maybe he had plans too. With a smile, she walked out the door. Almost as soon as she was out of the dormitory her phone vibrated. She pulled it out and looked at it. She'd received a text from Sango.

**Sango:**

_Hey, are you ready yet?_

Kagome quickly texted back as she continued walking.

**Kagome:**

_Yeah, be there in ten._

A few minutes later, she met up with Sango. They chatted for a while before getting into Sango's convertible and taking off. Sango had the top down, much to Kagome's frustration. After trying (and failing) to get her to put it back up, she gave in and just enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair. Laughing, Sango handed her a pair of sunglasses. Kagome laughed as well and put them on. A few minutes later, she spoke. She had to yell to be heard over the wind.

"So where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see!" Sango replied.

A while later, Sango pulled into the parking lot of a popular movie theater. Kagome smiled and got out of the car. Sango got out as well, and they walked inside.

"So what are we seeing?" Kagome asked, suspecting that her friend already bought tickets for something.

Sango grinned.

"You'll see." She promised. "Patience is a virtue, you know."

Kagome laughed a little.

"Yeah, yeah. I got the memo."

They bought a large tub of popcorn with extra butter, two chocolate bars, and two sodas. After they bought their snacks, they headed into their movie. Sango covered Kagome's eyes as they walked in, preventing her from seeing the title listed about the door. Once they were inside she let go and they sat down in the middle row. Eventually all the trailers ended and the movie got started. Kagome's eyes widened when she realized what was playing. Sango smiled triumphantly, clearly proud of herself. Kagome smiled back at her before focusing her attention on the movie.

When the movie was finally over, they threw their garbage away and went outside. Kagome turned to Sango, a delighted smile on her face.

"How did you get the tickets for this?!" She asked happily.

Sango grinned again.

"I know people." She replied simply.

"Well it's almost lunchtime, which means…"

Kagome thought for a moment before speaking again.

"We have about three or four hours before we have to worry about getting back." She said. "So what do you want to do next?"

Sango pondered for a moment, then shrugged.

"I don't know. Why don't we walk around the mall? It's pretty close by." She suggested.

"Sure!" Kagome said with a smile. "I do love window shopping."

"Window shopping? Girl, we are going to buy things whether you like it or not!" Sango said as she got in the car.

Kagome groaned comically.

"Fine…" She sighed.

"I knew you'd see it my way." Sango said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get my revenge later." Kagome promised.

"Uh-huh. _Sure_ you will." Sango said, earning a fake glare from Kagome.

They both cracked up laughing and Sango started up the car. It didn't take long to get to the mall, and they chatted the whole way there. As they were getting out of the car, Sango spoke up again.

"So what do you think of your roommate _now_?" She asked.

"Sango, why do you keep asking me that?" Kagome asked. "That's the second time this week."

"'Cause I'm curious!"

"Why are you so curious?"

"I just am! Quit dodging the question, Kagome!"

"I'm not dodging the question!"

"Yes you are!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah _huh_!"

"We sound like children. …And people are staring."

"Please just tell me? _Please?_"

"I don't know, okay? I mean, he's nice and all but I just don't know much about him."

"So? You've lived with him nearly a full week now. You have to have _some_ kind of an opinion by now!"

Kagome sighed.

"Please Kagome? _Please?!_"

"Oh my gosh, _fine_!"

"Yay!"

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"Just what you think of him, that's all."

"Well, like I said before, he's really nice. He can be very gentlemanly. He does have a bit of a temper, but I've only seen him direct it at his stalkers so far."

"That's good."

Kagome nodded in agreement.

"He's so closed-off though…I can't even tell what he's thinking half the time, let alone what he's feeling." She said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I've noticed that too."

"I wonder why he's like that…"

About an hour later, they'd covered nearly the entire mall. They'd each bought some new clothes (though Kagome didn't buy much), Sango had bought some new shoes, and they'd window shopped pretty much everywhere else. The only store they hadn't been to yet was the bookstore. At first, Sango didn't want to go, saying that bookstores where "boring". But eventually, Kagome managed to convince her to go. They walked around for a while, and didn't find anything interesting. Then, just as they were about to leave, Kagome spotted an old book on one of the shelves. It was titled _The Last Sound._

_'Sesshomaru would probably like this.'_ She thought as she picked it up.

She smiled. She quickly purchased the book and they headed out of the store. After that, Sango drove her to her class, promising to pick her up when it was over. The class was, as expected, long. But at the same time, it proved to be very fun. Tanoshi was astounded by her voice when he had her sing for him the first time. She was still convinced that she didn't sound very good, and he was determined to boost her confidence somehow. Even after everyone left, she stayed. He continued working with her until nearly ten. Afterwards, Sango picked her up She drove them back to the dormitory and they hung out in her dorm until midnight. They spent several minutes chatting before Kagome finally got serious about going to bed.

"Goodnight Sango. Thanks for hanging out with me today."

"Anytime! Now go get some sleep."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Kagome left and quickly went up the two flights of stairs leading to the third floor. Sango told her that the eleven o'clock curfew wasn't enforced on the weekends, but she didn't want to take the chance. She power walked down the hall and unlocked the door to the dorm. She walked inside and shut the door. She started to walk to her room when she noticed that the T.V. was on. It was playing the credits to a movie. She turned around and smiled when she saw Sesshomaru sound asleep on the couch. She quietly picked up the remote and turned the T.V. off. Then she went into his room and grabbed his pillow and a blanket. She went back over to him and gently lifted his head so she could put the pillow underneath it. He shifted slightly, but didn't wake up. She covered him up and watched as he snuggled up underneath it. She smiled softly at him before heading into her room.

She just hoped he wouldn't kill her for going into his room…


	6. Family Reunion

**A/N Sorry about chapter four, guys. I fixed it…**

When Sesshomaru woke up the next morning, he was a little confused. Why was he on the couch? Slowly, he remembered. He'd been watching a movie… He blinked, realizing that he'd fallen asleep. But as he sat up, he grew confused once more. His pillow and blanket were with him. They'd been his room when he'd fallen asleep… He shrugged it off and stood up. He stretched a little before grabbing his things and returning them to his room. He set them down on the bed and glanced over at his nightstand. Reaching over, he pressed a button on his phone. It lit up, displaying the time.

**5:30 A.M. **

He considered going back to bed, but then decided against it. He really wasn't that tired. Besides, he had things to do today. Unfortunately. He sighed softly and stood up to close his door. After he closed his door, he went over to his dresser to change clothes. He put on a plain white T-shirt and put a black jacket with long sleeves on over it. Then he put on some dark jeans and his usual shoes. After that, he grabbed his phone, key, and wallet, put them in his pockets, and left the room. Almost as soon as he exited the dorm his phone vibrated. He nearly rolled his eyes as he pulled it out of his pocket.

_'He's really calling me at this hour?'_ He thought in frustration.

He let out an irritated sigh as he answered it.

"Are you up?" A familiar voice asked.

He resisted the urge to sigh again.

"Obviously." He replied calmly, successfully masking his irritation.

"Good. Listen, I need a favor." The voice said.

_'God… What now?'_

He was about to tell him he couldn't do anything for him at the moment, but was interrupted.

"It's just a small favor, I swear."

This time, he couldn't stop himself from sighing.

"What is it?"

"I just need you to pick something up from the store for me, okay? Please? I'll pay you back, I swear!"

There was silence for a moment.

"What do I have to get?" He asked in defeat.

"A necklace. You know, that one with the pearls I told you about?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I thought I'd have enough money for it by now, but…"

"Alright… I'll get it."

"Thank you so much, man! I owe you one!"

_'More like twelve.'_ He thought as he hung up. _'How many more damned favors is he going to ask of me?'_

He put his phone in his pocket and walked down the hall, down the stairs, down another hall, and out the front door of the dormitory. He pulled a key out of his pocket as he walked over to the student parking lot. He unlocked the drivers side door of his black sports car **(A/N Image at: imgres?hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=iJsMAIg0SBNFvM:&imgrefurl= . &docid=vTXKEt14YmvJNM&imgurl= . /-tANcZTxJqlM/UINbN3mhbNI/AAAAAAAACj4/wCQGFPgole8/s400/black%252Bsports%252Bcar% &w=400&h=302&ei=-74OUc2gM6jqigK7-YGwCA&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:2,s:0,i:105&iact=rc&dur=7002&sig=105381263016592028980&page=1&tbnh=181&tbnw=234&start=0&ndsp=14&tx=158&ty=55)** and got in. With a sigh, he turned it on and drove down to the jewelry store. He bought the necklace (which thankfully wasn't as expensive as he'd thought it would be) and headed back over to the dormitory. He walked inside and headed down the hall to Room 32. When he got there, he knocked lightly on the door. It opened moments later, and he handed someone the necklace.

"God, thank you _so _much! My girlfriend would've killed me if I didn't get anything for her birthday! You're a lifesaver."

"Koga, I expect to get my money back eventually." He said, his voice smooth and as emotionless as his eyes.

Koga nodded quickly.

"Of course!" He said. "Here, that's what I've got right now."

Koga handed him some money, and he put it in his pocket.

"Anyway, see you later." Koga said. "Thanks again."

Sesshomaru nodded and headed back down the hall. For whatever reason, he walked over to his mailbox. He didn't even know why he bothered checking it. It wasn't like he ever got anything… Besides junk, that is. He was about to walk away again when a thought occurred to him. He hadn't checked it in a while… It was probably overflowing with junk mail. He sighed ever so slightly as he unlocked it and opened it up. As he'd expected, it was _way_ over-filled. He bent down and picked up the mail that had fallen to the floor and quickly looked through it. Junk, junk, and _more _junk. He threw it away in the garbage can nearby and turned his attention to the mail still inside the box. He sifted through it, and didn't find anything worth keeping. He was about to throw it all away when he realized that there was an envelope he'd missed. He pulled it out of the pile and threw everything else away. Afterwards, he opened the envelope and looked at its contents. It was a letter. He blinked and quickly read it.

_Dear Maru,_

_Okay, I know you hate being called that. Sorry, but I just couldn't help myself. Anyway, the family is getting together for a bit of a reunion tomorrow, and we were all hoping you would come. Of course, I'm not giving you a choice in the matter. Don't worry, I won't hit you or anything if you don't show. Those days are long passed us, aren't they?_

"Maybe for you, they are." He muttered.

_'I will never forget…'_

He forced himself to relax and continued reading.

_I can't honestly say I that I know who all is coming, but I know that your father is definitely coming. He's bringing his wife as well. TRY to get along with your brother, okay? I know he isn't exactly nice to you, but I don't think anyone will appreciate hearing you two argue._

_Sincerely,_

_Mother_

_P.S. Be at my house by three._

He sighed and checked the envelope to see when the letter was sent.

_'Yesterday. Of course.'_

He threw the envelope in the garbage and folded up the letter so it would fit in his pocket. Afterwards, he pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was already almost 6:30. Good. He still had time. He put away his phone, closed his mailbox, and went outside before he got distracted by anything else. By the time noon came around, he'd finished running errands. He'd bought all the groceries they needed for the week, returned his four books to the public library, washed his car, and done his laundry at the Laundromat. Now he was heading home. When he got back to the dorm, he immediately started putting away groceries. Kagome emerged from her room and saw what he was doing. Without a moment's hesitation, she began to help put things away. When they were done, he gathered up all of the grocery bags and threw them away. After that, he went to his room to put away his clothes. He checked the time again when he was done. He inwardly groaned when he saw that only ten minutes had passed since the last time he checked. Why did time have to move so slowly? Not that he was looking forward to seeing his family again. Far from it, actually. He'd sooner take a trip to hell than visit _them._ But alas, he didn't have a choice. Besides, his father was going to be there. He hated most of his family, but he'd always been close with his father. He sighed. He just wanted the reunion to be done and over with already…

At about one, he came out of his room again so he could eat something. He hadn't eaten anything all day. In more than a day, actually. He hadn't eaten anything yesterday, either. He just hoped Kagome didn't find out about that. She'd seemed pretty upset the other day when he'd barely eaten at lunch. He could only imagine how upset she'd be if she found out that he hadn't eaten at _all._ He didn't know why she even cared, though. It wasn't like it affected her at all… He pushed his thoughts away and focused on what he was doing. He made himself a small lunch (a couple hotdogs) and quickly ate. If asked he probably wouldn't have admitted it, but he _was_ a bit hungry. Kagome, who he knew had been watching him the whole time, spoke up.

"Are you sure you don't have some kind of an eating disorder?" She asked, her arms crossed over her chest and a serious, almost curious look on her face.

"I'm not anorexic, if that's what you're implying." He said calmly as he washed his plate and the pan he'd used to make the hotdogs.

He blinked when he heard her giggle, but said nothing.

"Yeah, I kind of figured you didn't, but I wasn't sure." She said. "So if you don't have anorexia or anything, why do you starve yourself?"

"I don't." He replied simply.

There was silence for a moment before she spoke again.

"Are you okay? You seem upset about something. Besides this, I mean." She asked seriously.

"It's nothing." He said as he walked out of the kitchen.

She stepped in front of him, preventing him from going to his room.

"It's obviously something." She said.

He sighed inwardly. Why couldn't she just let it go?

"Come on, just tell me. It's not like it's going to kill you." She said. "Maybe talking about it will make you fell better, at least a little."

"I don't _want_ to talk about it." He said.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Talking about it won't help anything, so there isn't any point." He replied.

"You're talking to me right now." She pointed out.

He glared lightly at her, but said nothing.

"Come on, what's bothering you? I'm sure it can't be that bad." She said.

"You have _no_ idea..." He muttered.

"And I never will unless you tell me." She said.

There was a moment of silence.

"Well?"

He sighed softly in defeat. It was clear that nothing he said or did was going to make her drop it. He just hoped that after he told her she'd leave him alone…

"I'm supposed to go to a family reunion at three today." He said finally.

Kagome looked confused.

"Why is that so bad?"

"Because it's my family. I don't exactly have many pleasant memories regarding them."

"Why not?"

He sighed again.

"Let's just say that my childhood wasn't great and leave it at that." He said as he walked past her and went into his room.

He shut the door before she had a chance to say anything.

At around two-thirty, he came out of his room again. He was a little relieved when he realized that she was in her room listening to her music as she had been for the past twenty or so minutes. He really didn't want to be questioned again… He quickly walked outside, got in his car, and began the drive to his mother's house. He knew he should have left sooner. It was nearly a forty-five minute long drive to her house, and he was going to be late. His grip tightened on the steering wheel slightly. He was _not _looking forward to seeing her, let alone seeing her angry. About ten minutes before he reached the house, his phone began to vibrate incessantly. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. He sighed a bit in annoyance and answered it, putting it on speaker phone so he could still drive properly.

"What?" He asked.

"Dad wants to know where you are." A voice said.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes." He replied.

"Okay. I hope you have a good excuse for being late. Your mom is _not _happy." The voice said.

"Inuyasha, I am more than capable of handling her." He said.

Though it was true, he wasn't entirely sure he _could_. He was… Let's say, _nervous_ around her. And that was putting it fairly lightly. But after everything that had happened in the past, he _wouldn't _be?

"Yeah, I know." Inuyasha said. "Just figured I'd let you know. Anyway, I've got to go. I have to help mom with dinner."

Without waiting for a reply, Inuyasha hung up. Sesshomaru sighed for the millionth time that day and drove that last few minutes to his mother's house. He pulled into the driveway and quickly checked the time. It was only three-twenty. He wasn't _that_ late, much to his relief. He stepped out of the car and locked the doors. The last thing he wanted was for Inuyasha to try to take his car for a spin… He'd probably wreck it, knowing him. He put his keys into his pocket and walked over to the door. He hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. He secretly hoped that no one would answer and he could just leave. He was _so_ not looking forward to this… Unfortunately though, the door unlocked and opened. He was slightly relieved to see that it was his father who'd answered it. His father smiled and stepped aside so he could come in.

"Nice to see you, son." He said, ruffling his hair fondly.

He shrank away from his father's hand slightly, and his father looked at him sympathetically. He knew what had happened to his son in the past. Unfortunately, he'd learned of it too late, though. Sesshomaru pushed those memories as far away from his mind as he possibly could and tried to focus on the present.

All in all, the day wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. At least, not until after everyone else had left. He quickly drove home, trying (and failing) not to think about what had happened. He knew he should have left as soon as he saw her drinking… He pulled into the student parking lot and quickly went inside, rubbing his now very sore right cheek with his hand. He went up to the third floor and down the hall, secretly hoping that Kagome wasn't there. He really didn't want to talk about what had happened, and he was sure she'd ask. Much to his relief, she was taking a shower when he walked in. He could hear the water running. He quickly went into his room and closed the door. He laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

_Why?_

Why would she do that to him?


	7. A Secret Revealed

When Kagome got out of the shower, she quickly dried her hair and got dressed. When she was done, she went into her room, put her laundry in the hamper, and brushed her hair. Afterwards, she stepped out into the hall. She hesitated in front of Sesshomaru's door. She knew he was home. She'd heard him when he'd come in. He'd gone into his room about ten minutes ago, and she hadn't heard him since. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

No response.

When he heard her knock, his eyes opened slightly. He wished she'd go away. He just wanted to be left alone…

She waited a moment before knocking again. When she didn't hear a response, she tried again.

_'Why isn't he answering?'_ She wondered as she stood there. _'Is he okay? He seemed upset earlier…'_

She tried again.

"Sesshomaru?"

Still response.

"Are you okay?"

There was silence for a moment. Finally, he responded. He didn't know what possessed him to reply.

"No."

His voice sounded muffled, almost as if he had his face buried in his pillow.

"Did something happen?"

He hesitated before responding.

"Yes."

"What happened?"

Her question was met with silence. She sighed softly before trying again.

"Sesshomaru, what happened? Please talk to me." She said.

He still didn't respond. Why wouldn't she just go away? Why couldn't she just ignore him like everyone else? Couldn't she tell that he didn't want to talk? He never _ever_ wanted to talk about it. Not ever.

"Please Sesshomaru. Talk to me." She said gently.

His response was quiet. She almost didn't hear him.

"I don't want to talk about it…" He said.

Finally, she gave up. Sighing softly, she went back to her room. She'd try again another time.

At lunch the next day, Kagome and Sango were talking. Kagome was getting worried. Sesshomaru hadn't said _anything _to _anyone_ all day, and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts all the time.

"Something's obviously bothering him, but he won't tell me what it is." She was saying.

"Are you sure it has to do with that family reunion?" Sango asked.

Kagome nodded.

"Positive. He seemed really nervous about going, and he didn't start acting like this until after he had." Kagome said.

"So what do we do?" Sango asked.

"I don't know. I was kind of hoping you'd have an idea." Kagome admitted.

"Nope, sorry. I've got nothing." Sango said with a shrug.

"Could we at least try to think of something?"

"Kagome, I'm not really sure there's anything we can do."

Kagome sighed.

"Yeah… I guess your right."

"Just make sure that he knows he can talk to you if he wants to. That's really all you can do for him. I'm sure he'll open up when he's ready."

"Okay."

"Now come on. These hamburgers aren't going to eat themselves."

Kagome laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. You're starving, I know."

Sesshomaru was sitting at his usual spot in the courtyard during lunch. But today, he wasn't writing. Instead, he was thinking, just as he'd been doing all day long.

_'I don't get it. Why does she care about what happened? It's none of her business, and yet she acts like it is. Why does she even care?'_

He looked up at the sky and watched the clouds drifting by overhead. As he was sitting there, he couldn't help but remember something she'd said before.

"We're friends, aren't we? Friends care about each other."

_'Friends? I don't know that she's really a "friend." I suppose she's closer to me than most others, but that doesn't mean we're friends.'_

He really didn't like the thought of letting anyone grow close to him. He knew exactly how that would end.

_'Every time I get close to someone they always leave. It never changes.'_

He thought for a moment before correcting himself.

_'I suppose that's not entirely true. People do on rare occasions stay, but…'_

He frowned slightly as his train of thought continued.

_'When they stay it's even worse. At least when they leave, the pain is over as soon as they're gone. But when they stay… The pain continues until _I _can leave...'_

He sighed softly, once again remembering how she'd tried so hard to get him to talk to her the night before. Truth be told, he _did_ want to talk to someone. But only sort of. He much preferred to keep it a secret, but he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to do that. Besides, he'd told someone before in the past… But that was different. The person he'd told was his father. He knew him, he trusted him. It was a whole different story with Kagome. Sure they spent a lot of time together, but there was really no avoiding that. They had the _exact_ same schedule, _and_ they shared a dorm. But that didn't change the fact that he barely knew her. And honestly, he wasn't entirely sure he _wanted_ to get to know her. What if she really wasn't the kind, caring, friendly person he thought she was? He frowned slightly.

_'Why does it matter if she's not? It's not like I don't have to deal with girls like that all the time anyway… I'm sure I could easily ignore her…'_

Part of him felt like that wasn't true. He didn't know why, but whenever she spoke he felt compelled to listen. Sometimes he even felt like he needed to say something back to her, but he usually didn't. The few times that he did though, he'd found himself feeling happy that he had. His responses were usually rewarded with a smile from her, or even a giggle. He didn't know why, but he did kind of like her smile. It was beautiful. Just like her… He instantly cut off his train of thought.

_'Where did that come from?'_ He wondered in confusion, a slight frown on his face.

He shook his head lightly and stood up. Lunch was almost over, and he figured he might as well start heading over to the cafeteria.

When the bell rang, Kagome quickly said goodbye to Sango and went outside. Sesshomaru was already there waiting for her. She smiled at him and they quickly walked to class. She tried unsuccessfully all day long to get him to talk to her. No such luck. He wouldn't even make eye contact with her. He kept looking down all day… When the bell rang for school to be over, Kagome headed over to Sango's dorm to study. Sesshomaru was about to head to the dormitory when his phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it. He'd received a text message from his father.

**_Meet me at WacDonald's. We need to talk._**

He blinked. Talk? About what? He sighed softly before walking to the WacDonald's nearby. He got there in under five minutes and hesitated before going inside. His father was already there, sitting at a table in the back. There was hardly anyone there much to his relief, and the few people who were there were sitting closer to the front. He forced himself to relax and walked over to the table. He sat down across from his father and said nothing, waiting for his father to say what he was going to say. His father hesitated before suddenly getting up. He gently turned his son's head to the side and examined the faint red mark on his cheek. He sighed softly.

"I was afraid of this…" He said.

He moved his hands away, much to Sesshomaru's relief, and sat back down.

"Did she start drinking after we left?"

Sesshomaru hesitated before nodding.

"Did you try to leave?"

He nodded. He'd _tried _to, but she wouldn't let him. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself, but he'd actually been… afraid. He was too afraid of getting hurt to stand up to her. He felt weak and stupid, felt like he'd deserved what he got.

"Are you okay?"

Sesshomaru finally made eye contact with his father, however briefly. He could clearly see the worry in his father's eyes. He lowered his eyes again.

"I'm fine."

He kept his voice and eyes emotionless. He refused to show his feelings. He knew all too well how that would go… His father sighed softly, not seeming to believe him. Regardless of that, he continued talking.

"I talked to the official who dealt with the case before. You remember Mr. and Mrs. Tsukyo, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, I talked to them and they agreed to help me file a restraining order on your mother. I don't think the court will reject it this time."

He nodded again, feeling slightly relieved. The court had rejected his father's request before due to their belief that the abuse had stopped and she was no longer a part of Sesshomaru's life. They had no idea how wrong they were... His father began to speak again, pulling him from his thoughts.

"If something like this _ever_ happens again, I want you to tell me right away, okay? I don't want you bottling it all up inside like you did before." He said, concern still clearly showing on his face.

Sesshomaru nodded reluctantly. Though with any luck, he'd never need to make that phone call.

"Alright. No what do you say we get something to eat?" His father asked with a smile.

Sesshomaru brightened a little and nodded. He and his father used to go out to places like this to eat and spend some one-on-one time together when he was little. Back before the abuse started. He'd really enjoyed those times… Like usual, Sesshomaru didn't really eat much. He did eat more than he usually did though. His father encouraged him just to eat a bit more, and reluctantly, he did. As he'd told Kagome the other day, he didn't have an eating disorder or anything, and he wasn't intentionally starving himself. It was just that… He was so used to not having anything to eat and nowhere near enough to eat when he did get food. He'd become accustomed to eating less. After they were done eating, they (mostly his father) talked for a while before going their separate ways.

At about four-thirty, Sango and Kagome were finally done studying. They chatted for a few minutes before saying goodbye. Kagome stepped into the hall just in time to hear someone quickly going up the stairs. She blinked and headed up herself. They were already up the second flight of stairs by the time she made it to the top of the first. She got all the way up the stairs and headed down the hall to the dorm. She stopped when she saw Sesshomaru quickly walking to the door. She ran up to him, calling his name. He stopped when he heard her, but he didn't turn around. She immediately noticed that his hands were clenched into fists. He was shaking. Her eyes widened when she saw his face. There were three deep claw marks on his right cheek, and he looked like he was on the verge of breaking down. Knowing better than to actually touch him, she grabbed his sleeve and quickly led him to the dorm. He kept his eyes trained on the ground and let her drag him along. He blinked several times, trying to calm down.

He'd had to make the call…


	8. Leave It Alone

Kagome quickly unlocked the door and pulled him inside. He didn't fight her. She led him to the bathroom and got a clean rag. She had him sit down on the toilet lid while got her rag wet. Much to her surprise, he let her gently clean the gashes. She cleaned as bandaged them as best she could and then led him out into the living room. They sat down on the couch and Kagome (after trying for nearly half an hour) somehow managed to get him to tell her what happened.

"She _hit_ you?" She asked, her eyes wide with shock.

He nodded, his eyes still trained on the ground. He didn't know how, but his mother had somehow found him. He'd stopped in an old empty (except for an old, virtually deaf man at the counter up front) bookstore on the way home after talking with his father at WacDonald's. She'd found him and cornered him at the back of the store. She'd started yelling at him, enraged at the idea of a restraining order. He could smell the alcohol in her breath. He'd tried to move past her so he could leave, but all that did was make her angrier.

And then she'd hit him.

She's hit him so hard that her claws dug into his skin. Due to the fact that she that she was drunk, the force from her hitting him was enough to cause her to stumble. Having seen his chance, he'd gotten out of there as fast as he could.

A horrible idea was forming in Kagome's mind. But… it couldn't be true. …Could it? She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Sesshomaru…" She said slowly. "Did she _abuse_ you as a child?"

He visibly flinched at the word "abuse" before giving a tiny nod.

"Does anyone else know?" She asked.

He nodded again.

"Who?"

When he didn't respond, she tried again. She knew this was difficult for him to talk about, so she did her best to be gentle and patient.

"Sesshomaru?"

He hesitated a moment longer before replying.

"My father…"

She sighed softly in relief.

'Good… So someone else knows…'

"Sesshomaru, may I use your phone? I need to make a call."

He glanced at her before taking it out of his pocket and handing it to her. She smiled gratefully and stepped out into the hall (A/N the one outside the dorm). She scrolled through his contacts until she found the one she wanted. She hit the call button and put the phone to her ear. It rang only twice before someone answered it.

"Sesshomaru?" A voice asked.

"No, this is Kagome. I'm his roommate at the college." She said. "Listen, I need to talk to his dad."

"Speaking."

"Oh, good. Sorry, I know this is unexpected, but it's important."

"That's alright. What's going on?"

"Did he tell you what happened today?"

She heard him sigh.

"Yeah… I'm taking care of it as quickly as I can. The court's already issued a restraining order."

"Good…"

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Will he be okay?"

"He should be… As long as the memories aren't fresh in his mind, he seems to do okay."

"Okay."

"And Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"Please… Help him. If he'll let you."

Kagome smiled.

"I will. I promise."

When she went back inside, she wasn't at all surprised to find that Sesshomaru was in his room. She set his phone down on the kitchen counter and went into her room. She grabbed her laptop, sat on her bed, and got online. She typed something into a search engine, clicked a link and immediately began taking notes.

**_Abuses he suffered (according to his father):_**

_1. Verbal_

_2. Emotional_

_3. Physical_

_4. Neglect_

_5. Abandonment_

**_Effects of verbal abuse:_**

_-make child feel worthless and/or useless_

_-don't feel "good enough"_

_-afraid of doing something wrong_

_-feel invisible_

_-won't share thoughts and/or feelings_

_**Effects of emotional abuse:**_

_-insecurity_

_-withdrawal from friends, family, etc._

_-lack of bond or emotional attachment to family (or anyone)_

_-negative opinion of self and abilities_

_-negative perception of world around them_

_-difficult to achieve happiness_

_-unwilling to love or form bonds_

**_Examples of emotional abuse:_**

_1. Shaming (i.e. "I can't believe you did that!")_

_2. Humiliation (i.e. "You idiot!")_

_3. Terrorization (i.e. "You're really going to get it now!")_

_4. Rejection (i.e. "Go away!")_

**_Effects of physical abuse:_**

_-low self-esteem_

_-fear of it happening again_

_-thinking they did something wrong/something to deserve it_

_-fear future relationships will be abusive_

_-need help to resolve pain cause by abuse_

_-anxiety when near certain people (i.e. family)_

_-used to being alone/isolated_

_-occasional hostility toward others_

_-difficult to form relationships/bonds_

_-no trust in others_

_-harder to communicate feelings_

_-develop antisocial traits_

**_Effects of severe neglect:_**

_-used to not eating, sleeping, or being near others_

She sighed softly to her self. Now what did she do about all of this? She thought for a moment.

_'Leave it alone.'_ She decided.

His father said that he usually did fine so long as the memories weren't fresh in his mind. She could only hope that was true… But then again, she'd seen the proof of that for herself. He'd been doing fine before that reunion.

_'I just need to give him some time to recover, that's all.'_

With that thought fresh in her mind, she exited the Internet, shut down her computer, and closed her journal. She put them away and grabbed a post-it note. She wrote something down on it and stepped out into the hall. She stuck it on Sesshomaru's door before going back to her room and getting into her pajamas.

_You can talk to me,_

She just hoped that he knew that. He could talk to her, but he didn't have to. That was something she'd tried to convey through her eyes, her body language, and other various ways. But just in case, now it was in writing.

It didn't get any clearer than that.

**A/N All the stuff I put in for her notes on abuse are actual FACTS. They are not in any way made up, I've done extensive research on the effects of abuse, and that is a portion of what I have learned.**


	9. I Will Not Love

A few weeks passed, and neither Kagome nor Sesshomaru spoke of what had happened. At first, it really hadn't seemed like he was getting any better. But after a while, he finally seemed to be getting better. After about a month, he finally seemed to be back to normal.

"_As long as the memories aren't fresh in his mind, he seems to do okay."_

Thank goodness that was true…

"Higurashi!"

Kagome jumped with a slight 'eep' at the sound of her teacher's stern voice. Sesshomaru looked at her, her face calm and expressionless.

'_Crap! I've been spacing out again!'_ She thought as she sweat dropped nervously.

Sesshomaru blinked. What in the world was going on with her lately? She'd been getting so distracted lately… He quickly turned his attention back up front. He didn't even know why he'd turned to look at her in the first place.

"Since you seem to be enjoying the lesson so much, why don't you answer the next question?"

Kagome gulped nervously while Ms. Eri rattled off little bits and pieces of the lesson and then asked what time period she was talking about. Kagome noticed with shame that she was the only one who didn't seem to know. She frantically searched her mind, trying to find an answer. Sesshomaru looked at her again, suddenly finding himself trying to think of a way to help her. He shook his head lightly and turned away again.

'_No, she needs to learn it on her own. It won't do her any good otherwise.'_

He refused to look at her again.

Kagome, on the verge of panic, finally blurted out an answer.

"Uh… The Feudal Era…?" She said nervously.

"Good. Glad to see you've been paying attention after all."

She heaved a silent sigh of relief.

'_That was too close…'_

After school was over, they walked back over the dorm. Kagome chatted with him the whole way there, and he surprised her by actually talking a bit too. They were still talking when they finally walked inside the dorm.

"Ms. Eri is _scary_ when she's mad!" Kagome exclaimed.

She was surprised when Sesshomaru laughed a little. It was light and carefree, and reflected the amusement shining in his eyes. She immediately realized she wanted to hear it again.

"Yeah… She can be like that sometimes." He agreed.

"And how would _you_ know that?" Kagome teased.

He shrugged lightly.

"I'm not always the most attentive person." He admitted.

"You learn something new everyday." Kagome said, feigning surprise.

He rolled his eyes and walked to his room to drop off his backpack. She did the same and they met back up in the hall.

"Ready to go?" She asked, still smiling.

He nodded, finding himself unable to reply in any other way. His heart was beating a bit faster, and it confused him. What was going on? He was pulled from his thoughts again when she spoke.

"Great! Let's go!" She said happily, grabbing his hand and leading him out the door.

Well that _really_ snapped him out of it. He didn't like being touched. Didn't she know that? He was just about to say something when she let go and gave him an apologetic smile. He blinked, his mind becoming lost again. He cursed inwardly.

'_What's going on with me? Her smile never affected me like this before…'_

He shook his head lightly, forcing himself to focus on the real world. As they were walking to his car, she continued talking. They got in, sat down, and buckled in. As he started up the car, she spoke.

"Do you like poetry?" She asked.

He glanced at her curiously, wondering why she was asking him that.

"I know you like to read, so I was curious." She said, almost as if she could read his mind.

He looked at her for a moment longer before turning his attention to the road. He nodded as he began backing out of the parking space.

"What's your favorite poem?"

There was silence for a moment before he spoke.

"At least in dreams did I see you, now even that is lost to me. Should I die of love then?" He recited quietly, completely from memory.

Kagome was beyond surprised. She hadn't expected a love poem to be one of his favorites. Regardless, she continued to ask him questions. She honestly wasn't trying to be pushy or anything, she just wanted to learn a little more about him.

"Where did you hear that?" She asked.

"My stepmother used to read me." He said quietly.

There was a momentary pause before he continued.

"That poem was one of her favorites."

"Is she nice?" She asked.

He nodded. She didn't fail to see the sadness in his eyes.

"She was." He replied quietly.

"Was?"

"She passed away when I started high school. She was very ill."

"Oh."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry." She said finally, breaking the silence.

He glanced at her.

"For what?"

"Bringing it up."

She almost missed the tiny smile that spread across his face.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. It's always good to remember someone you care for."

She smiled.

"When did _you_ become so wise?" She asked jokingly, poking his arm.

He glared lightly at her for touching him, but his glare quickly faded once he saw the smile in her eyes. She didn't even notice his glare. He turned his attention back to the road as she began questioning him again.

"So what's your favorite book?"

"White Fang by Jack London."

"Isn't that an American author? I didn't know they sold his books here."

"They don't."

"Then how…?"

"My family lived in America for a time when I was a child."

Kagome could barely contain her surprise.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"What state?"

"Texas."

That _really_ surprised her. Her first guess was have been New York or L.A. honestly…

"What city?"

He shrugged.

"It wasn't really a city. More like a town. I don't know what it was called."

"Oh. Did you ever ride?"

He glanced at her.

"Horses." She clarified.

He nodded.

"Is it as hard as everyone says it is?" She asked.

He shrugged.

"Not really. It was pretty easy for me." He said. "Although, my brother seemed to have a hard time with it." He added.

"You have a brother?" She asked, genuinely surprised.

"Half." He said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." She said. "Did you two get along?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He never really liked me that much, I guess."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"How did he handle losing his mother?" She asked.

"He was never really close with her, or our father. He was upset for a while, but he quickly recovered." He replied.

"That's wrong on so many levels…" She muttered.

"Father remarried again a few years later anyway, so now he has a new mother. He seems happy with her." He said.

"And what about you?" She asked.

He just shrugged.

"Sesshomaru?" She tried again.

No response.

"Sesshomaru, what do you think of her?" She pressed lightly.

He sighed softly, giving in.

"I don't like her." He finally admitted.

"Why not?" She asked.

He just shook his head.

"It doesn't matter."

She inwardly groaned. She hated it when he did this. Why was he acting like this? It was just a question… Finally deciding to drop it, she continued with her earlier questioning.

"You like music, right?" She asked, earning a nod from him.

She knew it was a stupid question, considering all the instruments he played. But even so…

"So what's your favorite song?"

He thought for a moment. What _was_ his favorite song?

"Corruption Garden." He said after a moment.'

"Who's it by?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "I've never checked."

"Well as soon as you do, let me know. 'Cause I want to hear it."

He glanced at her, but said nothing. She continued asking him questions. By the time they reached their destination, she'd asked what felt like a million more questions. What his favorite food was, his favorite movie, his favorite animal, favorite flower and tree, favorite color, favorite pastime, and favorite sport. He'd replied that he didn't have a favorite food or movie, that his favorite animal was the wolf, that his favorite flower was a rose, his favorite tree was a cherry tree, his favorite color was black, his favorite pastime was reading, and he hated sports.

"Why are you asking so many questions?" He asked as they stepped out of the car.

He wouldn't admit it, but he was feeling slightly overwhelmed. He honestly couldn't think of a time when he'd been questioned this much before in his life. Kagome shrugged.

"I'm just curious about you." She replied honestly.

"Why?" he asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

"Because you're my friend, and I know hardly anything about you. It's natural for me to get curious." She replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

There was that word again. Friend. Where they friends? He wasn't even sure. Part of him wanted to say no, and the other part of him wilted at the thought of that they weren't. He didn't understand it at all. Kagome pulled him from his thoughts when she spoke.

"Come on, it's going to start soon!" She said excitedly as she led the way into the theatre.

He sighed softly and followed her in. He had no idea how she'd managed to convince him to do this. He wasn't even interested in the movie… But for whatever reason, spending time with her had seemed appealing to him, and he'd agreed. Now he was seriously questioning that decision. It wasn't that he didn't like being near her (he found that he liked it more than he was willing to admit), it was just… the way she kept making his heart pound…

Kagome, completely oblivious to his turmoil, led the way to the popcorn. They got large tub with extra butter and she got a soda. She made him at least get a water. He paid for everything, including their not-so-cheap tickets, and they went into the movie. Kagome made him try some of the popcorn before the movie started, and he was surprised to find that he actually liked it. A lot, actually. Kagome still ended up eating most of it by herself, but he did take a few pieces every once in a while. When the movie was finally over, they walked back outside and went to the car. They got buckled and began the drive back home. It was relatively quiet for a while, mostly due to the fact that Kagome was thinking about the movie still. She wouldn't admit it, but she rather envied the couple that had starred in it. By the end of the movie the girl was practically Cinderella, being swept off her feet and welcomed into a land of perfection in beauty. She sighed inwardly. If only she'd been that lucky… She'd really loved her old boyfriend. She'd loved him with every beat of her heart. It killed her when she found out he was a no good dirty cheater. She remembered thinking to herself that maybe fairy tales weren't real after all the night she found out as she stood on her balcony crying. She pushed all those thoughts away from her mind.

'_It doesn't matter. I don't have time for love anyway. I have school and family obligations, plus my friends. Not only that, but I'll have a job as soon as I graduate. I refuse to let such a childish thing as love take that away from me.'_ She thought.

She didn't want a relationship. She didn't want kisses or love or the complications that she would inherit. A younger her, one still drunk on the magic of adventure and danger would have. She knew that with certainty. But she'd changed… The adult her didn't have time for the messiness or the baggage. Her career stretched out in front of her, her life, free of the fights and hurts and arguments, and she hoped to have a friend that understood that her goals were more important than love.

'_I will not love.'_ She silently promised herself. _'I will not love.'_


	10. The Concert

**_Saturday 9:32 P.M._**

_'Give it up. You can't do this.'_ A tiny voice in the back of his head persisted.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax.

_'Yes I can. This is what we've been rehearsing for all month.' _He reminded himself. _'I've practiced this. It's not that difficult. I can do this…'_

Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. He took a deep breath. He wasn't doing a very good job of convincing himself.

"Sesshomaru, you'll be fine. Just pretend there's no one out there." Kagome said from where she stood next to him.

He wasn't quite sure he believed her. What if he messed it up?

"How am I supposed to pretend there's no on out there?" He asked, looking at her with a slight frown on his face.

Kagome shrugged.

"You could always pretend everyone's in their underwear." She said nonchalantly.

"Why would I do that? That's disgusting." He said, confused.

Kagome laughed, glad to hear that he was sounding more like his usual self.

"That's something my mom used to tell me to do when I was nervous before getting up in front of a crowd." She said. "I don't think it actually works, but still."

Sesshomaru grew nervous again. She _had_ to mention the crowd, didn't she?

"Sesshomaru, just relax. You'll be fine." Kagome said, smiling at him. "You'll do great."

Once again, he wasn't so sure. Just a week before, Mr. Ongaku had chosen him to do a piano solo for the opening to the music show. He really didn't want to though… He hated getting up in front of crowds… It was easier when he was just one of the nobodies sitting in a group of chairs, all huddled together on the stage playing together. He could easily act like no one could see him then. But being on stage by himself… That was a _whole_ different story. He swallowed nervously and glanced at the clock. Any minute now. He tensed when he was told to go out. He glanced at Kagome, and she gave him a reassuring smile before disappearing backstage. He took a deep breath and slowly stepped out onto the stage. Hundreds of eyes were on him in an instant, watching, waiting.

_'Waiting for you to fail.'_

He quickly pushed such thoughts away. Now was not the time for him to be doubting himself. He quickly walked over to the pure white piano on the center of the stage and sat down. He took a deep breath and, tuning out the world, began to play. His eyes closed as his hands danced across the instrument. He was in his own dream world. Reality seemed to just slip away. Ten minutes into his piece, he stopped, stood from his seat, and bowed. If a pin had dropped, everyone would have heard it. The audience was stunned silent. A few unaware folks rose from their seats and clapped. They were soon followed by nearly everyone else in the audience, and he felt like he could finally breathe. He'd been nervous for a second there… He quickly exited the stage and went behind the curtain. Before he knew what was happening, he was enveloped in Kagome's arms as she slammed into him. He stumbled backward a couple steps, but was able to regain his balance.

"See, I told you you could do it." She said, smiling softly at him.

He gave a tiny smile, feeling both greatly relieved and slightly proud of himself.

"Now come on." She said, tugging his sleeve. The concert isn't over yet."

He nodded and allowed her to lead him back on stage with the other students. He grabbed his violin, and soon the world disappeared once more.

Two and a half hours after the concert had begun, it was over. Sesshomaru found himself once again questioning college culture. Almost as soon as the lights came back on and the audience began to mingle, people began screeching about parties and beer. The intellectual peace exploded directly in his face, and he really didn't like it. Several of his stalkers approached him and demanded he go to their dorm to celebrate, but unfortunately, his idea of celebrating was detaching himself by relaxing in his room and reading or listening to music. After the handshakes, perfumed hugs, and bouquets, he felt like he really needed a shower. Now, it was midnight. The people had had their fun, and now he was _finally_ headed back to the dorm. Kagome had gone back nearly two hours before, and had insisted that he stay for a while longer. He'd reluctantly agreed, but now he was finally headed back. He couldn't wait to get to his room and relax… He sighed as he slowly made his way through the crowds and headed up the stairs. Why couldn't there be an elevator in the dormitory? When he finally made it back to the dorm, he pulled out his key and unlocked the door. He quickly stepped inside, closed the door, and locked it. He headed across the living room and started to go to his room when he noticed that Kagome's door was open. It was clear that she was asleep. He quietly went in, covered her up with her blankets, left the room, and closed the door. Then he headed into his room. He closed his door and quickly changed into some more comfortable clothes. He put on a loose white T-shirt and some gray sweatpants. Grabbing his iPod, he sat down on his bed. He grabbed a book off of his night stand and put his ear buds in his ear. He turned his iPod on and began listening to "Give It Up" by Elizabeth Gillies and Ariana Grande. Even though he didn't live in America anymore, he did still listen to American music from time to time. It really wasn't bad. He also very much enjoyed American literature. Sitting in his lap was a collection of all the works of one of America's most famous gothic authors, Edgar Allen Poe. He opened the book and flipped through the pages until he found the story he wanted. He laid down and began to read "the Tell-Tale Heart". He continued to read until around one in the morning when he heard a soft knock on his door. He paused his music, set his book down, got up, and opened the door. He was a little surprised to see Kagome there. He hadn't woken her up, had he?

"What are you doing awake still?" She asked, looking concerned. "You should be asleep."

"I could say the same thing to you." He pointed out with a blank look on his face.

At this, she smiled.

"Ah, but I _have_ been sleeping, whereas you have not." She said.

He blinked. She had a point.

"So why aren't you in bed?" She asked.

He shrugged lightly.

"I'm not tired." He said truthfully.

"I see we have a night owl in our midst." She said with a smile.

He tilted his head slightly, and Kagome giggled.

"That's what my mom used to say whenever I stayed up all night working on homework back in high school." She said.

He blinked, not really knowing how else to respond to her chatter.

"Anyway… Just promise me you won't stay up too much later, okay?" She said as way of goodnight.

He nodded and watched as she went back to back to bed. He glanced at his phone, checking the time. Maybe he should get to bed… After all, he was supposed to be going out tomorrow.


	11. Meadow

He jolted awake when his phone suddenly started to go off. He reached over and quickly shut off the alarm he'd set. He rubbed his eyes a little, trying to wake up, and got out of bed. He walked over to his dresser, pulled out some clothes, and quickly got dressed. He put on yet another white T-shirt and pulled a dark blue hoodie on over it. He then put on some dark jeans and his regular shoes before grabbing his phone and heading to the kitchen. For Kagome's sake (since she had no idea how to cook) he'd begun purchasing cereal, and he quickly poured himself a bowl. Kagome, having heard him, appeared moments later. She smiled when she saw that he was eating. She was very strict with him about eating regularly (and eating enough), and that sort of structure appeared to be what he'd needed. He was slowly getting used to eating again, and that was a great relief. Not just for her, but for his father too. One way or another, she'd acquired his phone number, and they talked occasionally. She poured herself a bowl of cereal while she spoke.

"What're you doing up so early?" She asked. "It's Sunday."

"I know." He replied. "I have to go somewhere today."

"Where?" She asked.

"Father wants me to go over to his house and celebrate." He said. "He heard about the concert."

"Yeah, that was my doing." She admitted with a smile.

He just shrugged, not really caring.

"So who all will be there?" She asked. "Besides your dad, obviously."

He shrugged.

"Inuyasha and his mother, probably." He said.

"Who?" She asked, confused.

"My brother."

"Ah."

He quickly finished his cereal and was about to get seconds when he suddenly realized he was running late.

_'Crap…'_ He thought as he washed his dishes.

Suddenly, Kagome spoke up again.

"Is it okay if I come? I've been wanting to meet your dad for a while…" She asked.

He shrugged indifferently.

"I don't care. Just don't expect an especially warm welcome." He said.

"From your brother, at least." She amended.

He nodded. Even though she'd only just learned his name, she'd been learning quite a bit about Sesshomaru's younger brother recently. That was mostly due to the fact that she kept asking questions. She really couldn't help it. She was just so curious! She quickly finished eating and ran to her room to get dressed. She put on a light, almost sky blue tank top, some yellow, sunny shorts, and her favorite sandals. It wasn't summer time, but it definitely wasn't cold outside. She grabbed her phone and quickly went back out and found Sesshomaru. Now that she was ready, they quickly headed out the door. While they were heading down the stairs, they were also talking and dodging people. He'd been getting more talkative with her, and she was really enjoying it. He was a nice person to talk to. So kind and intelligent… Those two things combined always made for a good conversation. They were heading down the second flight of stairs when he suddenly slipped and fell. He quickly got back on his feet.

"Are you okay?" She asked, trying not to laugh.

He nodded, looking mildly annoyed.

"I thought this kind of thing only happened on T.V.!" She said, unable to restrain her giggles as she watched him pick up the banana peel he'd slipped on.

He threw it away and they continued their decent. When she was finally able to stop laughing, she began to speak once more.

"So what were you doing last night, anyway?" She asked, mildly curious.

"Just relaxing." He said with a shrug. "Unlike most other people here, that's how I prefer to 'celebrate.'"

"And by 'most other people' you mean those girls." Kagome said.

"Mostly." He said. "Koga was there to."

"Koga?" She asked. "You mean that wolf with the long black hair?"

He nodded.

"What did _he_ want to do?" She asked.

"He wanted to go to one of those crazy parties, get drunk, and sleep around." He replied, not bothering to hide his disgust at the last part.

"Oh." She said. "That sounds a lot like my old boyfriend."

Sesshomaru looked at her. Her ex? She'd mentioned the guy a few times before, but he'd never really heard much about him. But Sesshomaru refused to ask, having sensed her desire to forget all about him. A few moments later, they were outside the dormitory and walking to the car. They got in and he quickly sent his father a text message before starting up the car.

**_Sesshomaru:_**

_I'm going to be a bit late. Kagome's coming._

**_Father:_**

_Okay. Drive safe. I'll see you two when you get here._

Kagome watched him as he carefully backed his car out of the parking space and began to drive. He was such a safe driver… Unlike her brother. She nearly shivered at the thought of being in the same vehicle as her crazy teen-aged brother. While he wasn't really crazy, he was a maniac on the rode. It was truly frightening.

"How in the world do you afford this car?" She asked.

He just shrugged.

"Aren't the monthly payments a bit overwhelming?" She asked.

"The car's already paid off." He replied. "I paid it off a long time ago."

"How?"

Her question was once again left unanswered. She sighed inwardly, deciding to change the subject.

"So your dad tells me you're a writer." She said conversationally.

He looked at her, completely expressionless, before turning his attention back to the rode.

"What do you write about?" She asked.

He shrugged again, something she noticed he did a lot. She'd been noticing a lot of things about him lately…

"A lot of things." He said.

"Like?" She pressed.

"Mostly fictional stories. Sometimes poetry." He said.

He had no idea why he was even telling her. He didn't exactly like telling other people about his talents. He didn't like feeling like he was being put in the spotlight.

"That's cool." She said. "I tried writing a poem once in middle school, but it didn't work out that well. Sango said it was weird."

"Maybe in her opinion. To someone else it could have been amazing." He pointed out.

"True, but the only other person I showed was my mom, and she likes just about everything I do. But then again, that's what moms do." She said with a smile.

_'Most moms, anyway.'_

He shrugged yet again and continued to drive. About twenty minutes later, he turned onto the freeway and sped up a bit to keep up with the speed limit. Kagome tensed a bit and he glanced over at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm just remembering the last time I was on a freeway." She said. "My little brother was driving, and we almost got in a wreck."

She looked over at him, trust shining in her eyes.

"But I know that won't happen this time. You're a really safe driver." She said with a smile aimed directly at him.

He didn't know why, but he blushed a little at her compliment. He found himself feeling extremely glad that she'd turned away when she had. He silently took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart. It was a feeling he'd grown fairly used to, but he still didn't like it. Nor did he understand why he felt it. No one else made him feel like that when they smiled at him. It was just her. But why? After another hour, they finally reached the countryside. It took another forty-five minutes before they finally reached his father's large ranch-style home. There weren't many animals, just a couple big dogs and three beautiful horses. One of them came running toward them as soon as the stepped out of the car. It was stopped by the fence however, and he walked over to it. It was a beautiful white mare with a shining white mane, and it was clear she recognized him. Kagome followed somewhat nervously and stopped after a few feet. He walked right up to the fence and patted the side of her neck gently. He nudged him affectionately and whinnied in what seemed like a somewhat begging manner. He smiled and laughed a little, pulling a grocery bag from his hoodie pocket.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget." He said softly to her.

He pulled a bright red apple out of the bag and Kagome watched as the horse gently ate it right out of his hand, core and all. She walked over to the two of them.

"That was pretty sweet of you, bringing her a present." She said with a smile.

He smiled a bit too as he gently patted the mare again.

"I always bring her something. She doesn't get treats that often." He said.

"An apple is a treat?" She asked.

He nodded.

"For a horse, yes." He replied.

Almost as if on cue, on of the other horses trotted white over. It was an older, pitch-black stallion. Sesshomaru pulled another apple out of the bag and held it out to him. Kagome became nervous for a moment. That horse didn't look very friendly… She watched in awe as the stallion slowly leaned forward and grabbed the apple before taking off with it. Kagome couldn't help but laugh.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"He was neglected when he was young. We got him at a rescue shelter. He's pretty protective of his food." He said.

Kagome looked farther out into the field, looking at the third horse. She was grazing lazily in the center of the field, watching them out of the corner of her eye. Her skin was a bright yellow color and she had a beautiful blonde mane. She seemed to be old.

"Whose horse is that?" She asked.

"My step mother's." He said. "The one who died."

"She's beautiful." She said.

He nodded.

"What's her name?"

"My step mother used to call Meadow."

Kagome smiled. It was such a nice name…

"Who does the white one belong to?"

"My father."

"What's her name?"

"I think it's Angel."

"What about the black one?"

"His name's Midnight."

"Whose horse is it?"

"Mine."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"He was still too young to ride by the time we moved back from America, though. I used to ride Meadow a lot."

Kagome smiled a lot. He'd just told her a bit about his past, and she hadn't even had to ask. After a while, they went inside. Sesshomaru braced himself for what was to come.

_'Let the chaos begin.'_


	12. Meeting the Family

"It's about time you got here!" Inuyasha practically shouted.

"I've been here for a while. I've just been outside." Sesshomaru replied calmly.

"Whatever." Inuyasha said.

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He did _not_ miss sharing a home with his brother. Not at all…

"Hey, who's that?" Inuyasha asked, suddenly seeing Kagome.

Kagome waved somewhat nervously.

"Hi." She said. "I'm Kagome. I'm his roommate at the college."

Inuyasha blinked.

"Huh. They have coed dorms?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Uh-huh. But only when necessary." She said.

Before any further conversation could be made, Sesshomaru's father came downstairs. He quickly headed over to them.

"Oh, I hadn't realized you were here." He said, smiling warmly. "I presume this is Kagome?"

Kagome and Sesshomaru both nodded at the same time.

"It's nice to finally meet you, sir." She said, returning his smile and extending a hand to him.

They shook hands and he spoke again.

"Please, just call me Toga." He said with a slight laugh. "I'm only 'sir' at work."

Kagome smiled again.

"Okay."

Toga turned his attention to Sesshomaru.

"So how was the drive?" He asked conversationally.

Sesshomaru shrugged indifferently.

"Fine. There wasn't much traffic or anything." He replied.

"That's good." Toga said. "Now come on, let's all go sit down instead of standing in the doorway."

They all headed into the living room and sat down. Sesshomaru and Kagome sat on the couch while Toga sat in a recliner. Inuyasha opted to stay in the kitchen, having said something about starving to death. Once they were seated, Kagome spoke.

"This is a very nice house." She said.

"Thanks. I had it modeled after a house I once visited back in Texas." Toga said. "Of course, that house was bigger, but still."

"But this house is huge!" Kagome said.

"By our standards, yes. In America, mansions can get a lot bigger than this." He replied.

"Wow…" She said.

Toga turned to his son again.

"How was the concert?" He asked.

Sesshomaru shrugged again.

"Fine." He said.

"It was better than fine!" Kagome exclaimed. "He was amazing. You should have seen the audience after he played."

Toga's smile widened.

"He always had a way of stunning audiences." He said. "So what did the teacher have you play?"

"Debussy's Estampes on the piano." Sesshomaru replied.

"Ah. You were always good at playing famous pieces." Toga commented.

Sesshomaru just shrugged again. Suddenly, Inuyasha came out of the kitchen.

"Hey pops! When's lunch?" He asked.

"Patience is a virtue, you know." Sesshomaru said, glancing at his brother. "It's not even noon."

"But I'm starving!" Inuyasha complained.

"So have a second breakfast." Toga said.

"You don't _have_ any breakfast food!" Inuyasha said.

"Yes I do. There are eggs in the fridge." Toga replied.

"But then I'd have to _cook_!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

Toga sighed.

"Yes, Inuyasha. That would mean cooking, something you should know how to do by now." He replied.

"I can cook." Inuyasha muttered.

"I hardly think that heating up microwaveable dinners counts as cooking." Sesshomaru said.

"I agree, even though I'm not really one to talk." Kagome said.

"Inuyasha, you're just going to have to wait until noon. Alright?" Toga said.

"Fine…" Inuyasha said, going back into the kitchen to look for a snack.

"Well, _that_ was weird." Kagome said."

Toga sighed.

"That kid never stops eating. It's a wonder he's not obese." He said.

Sesshomaru didn't say anything, though Kagome noticed that he seemed to agree. After about half an hour, Sesshomaru finally had enough of his brother's complaining and made him an early lunch. Soon afterward, noon came around and he made lunch for everyone else as well. Once lunch was over, they sat around and talked some more before finally saying goodbye. Kagome couldn't help but notice that Sesshomaru seemed slightly relieved to be leaving. They got in the car and began the long drive home.

"Your dad is really nice." Kagome said. "I really like him."

"He seems to like you to." Sesshomaru replied.

Kagome chatted with him for most of the ride home, but eventually grew silent. She'd finally run out of things to talk about. After a while, she turned on his radio. A CD began to play.

_I thought love was only true in fairy tales _

_Meant for someone else but not for me _

_But love was out to get me _

_That's the way it seems _

_Disappointment haunted all my dreams_

_And then I saw her face _

_Now I'm a believer _

_Not a trace _

_Of doubt in my mind_

_I'm in love_

_I'm a believer __I couldn't leave her if I tried_

_I thought love was more or less a giving thing _

_The more I gave the less I got, oh yeah _

_What's the use in trying? _

_All you get is pain _

_When I wanted sunshine I got rain_

_And then I saw her face __Now I'm a believer __Not a trace __Of doubt in my mind_

_I'm in love_

_I'm a believer _

_I couldn't leave her if I tried_

___What's the use in trying? _

___All you get is pain _

___When I wanted sunshine I got rain_

_And then I saw her face _

_Now I'm a believer _

_Not a trace _

_Of doubt in my mind_

_I'm in love_

_I'm a believer_

_I couldn't leave her if I tried_

_Then I saw her face_

_Now I'm a believer _

_Not a trace _

_Of doubt in my mind_

_I'm in love_

_I'm a believer _

_I couldn't leave her if I tried_

Kagome turned to him.

"What was that?" She asked.

"That was I'm a Believer. It's an American song by a group known as Smash Mouth." He replied.

"Do you have any other American music in the car?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Can you play something else?"

He grabbed another CD at random, ejected the other one, and another song began to play.

_I can't pretend  
_

_To know how you feel  
_

_But know that I'm here  
_

_Know that I'm real_

_Say what you want_

_Or don't talk at all_

_I'm not gonna let you fall_

_Reach for my hand_

_'Cause it's held out for you_

_My shoulders are small_

_But you can cry on them too_

_Everything changes_

_But one thing is true_

_Understand_

_We'll always be more than a band_

_Yeah yeah yeah yeah_

_You used to brave the world _

_All on your own _

_Now we won't let you go, go it alone_

_Be who you wanna be _

_Always stand tall_

_Not gonna let you fall_

_Reach for my hand_

_'Cause it's held out for you _

_My shoulders are strong _

_But you can cry on them too_

_Everything changes _

_But one thing is true_

_Understand _

_We'll always be more than a band_

_I never knew you could take me so far _

_I've always wanted to hope that you are the ones I need_

___Reach for my hand _

___'Cause it's held out for you _

___My shoulders are strong _

___But you can cry on them too (cry on them too)_

___Everything changes _

___But one thing is true _

___Understand _

___We'll always be more than a band_

"Who sang this?" Kagome asked.

"A group called Lemonade Mouth." He replied.

"Play another one." Kagome breathed.

She was really loving the music. It was really great. He nodded and played another song.

_When you walk away  
_

_You don't hear me say  
_

_Please, oh baby don't go  
_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight  
_

_It's hard to let it go_

_You're giving me_

_Too many things, lately_

_You're all I need_

_You smiled at me, and said_

_Don't get me wrong I love you_

_But does that mean I have to meet your father?_

_When we are older you'll understand what I meant when I said no_

_I don't think life is quite that simple_

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_(So simple and clean)_

_The daily things (like this and that and what is what)_

_That keep us all busy_

_Are confusing me_

_That's when you came to me and said_

_Wish I could prove I love you_

_But does that mean I have to walk on water?_

_When we are older you'll understand it's enough when I say so,_

_And maybe some things are that simple_

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_Hold me, whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings_

_The future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before_

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say_

_Please, oh baby don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_Hold me, whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings_

_The future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before_

_Hold me, whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings_

_The future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before_

"Who was that by?" Kagome asked when the song was over.

"Utada Hikaru" He replied. "There's a Japanese version of this song too."

"I never knew you liked American music this much." She commented.

He shrugged lightly.

"It's good." He said simply.

"True." Kagome agreed.

Shortly afterward, they arrived back at the dormitory. They got out of the car and headed inside. Kagome stopped him before he could reach the stairs.

"Hey. Would you mind opening the mailbox? I don't have they key." She said.

He went over to it, unlocked it, then stepped back so she could check the mail. She mostly just found junk, though she did find a few letters addressed to her. She closed the mailbox once she was finished, and he locked it. After that, they went upstairs to the dorm. She went to her room and sat on her bed. She opened up the first envelope and quickly discarded the letter. It was junk after all. She checked the second one, and discovered that it was also just junk mail in disguise. Finally, she moved on to the third and final letter. She opened it and quickly began to read.

_'Jeez, more junk mail. I should have known. Why would any one send _me_ a congratulatory letter? Now that I think about it, I never even entered a contest to win a car… Definitely junk mail.'_

She tossed the letters in her garbage can and sat back down on her bed.

_'Today was a really interesting day.'_ She thought as she got up again and began to change into her pajamas. _'He has such a nice dad… And an interesting brother, too.'_

She glanced at her phone, checking the time.

_'I can't believe it's already six o'clock. Time goes by so fast on the weekends.'_

She finished getting dressed and began to brush her hair.

_'I had fun today. It seemed like Sesshomaru did too. I hope we can spend time together like this more often.'_ She thought. _'My favorite part of the day was _definitely_ when he smeared barbecue sauce on Inuyasha's face.'_

She laughed lightly to herself before sitting back down again and finishing her weekend homework.


	13. The Perfect Costume

**A/N Sorry about the confusion with the book, guys. It'll come up sooner or later, I promise! By the way, a month has passed since the last chapter.**

_People are always saying_

_"Look for the light at the end of the tunnel."_

_I search, _

_But I can never seem to find it._

_Does it really not exist then?_

_Or am I just too blind to see it?_

Sesshomaru sighed and closed his notebook. The poetry he used to write was so depressing… He wasn't even sure it could be considered poetry. He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. He got off his bed and opened the door. Kagome was standing there.

"You promised you'd help me decorate." She said, looking excited.

He sighed again inwardly and followed her out into the living room. She'd gotten a bunch of decorations from her mother's house, and she'd made him promise to help her put them up. He really didn't want to though… He wasn't much into celebrating holidays. Without a moment's hesitation, Kagome began opening boxes and pulling things out. He helped her unpack them, and once they had everything out, she began to hand him things, telling him exactly where she wanted each decoration to go. He didn't fight with her, simply did he was told. He knew she'd win the argument, anyway. He'd been having such a hard time telling her "no" lately… It was getting kind of ridiculous. Not to mention annoying. After about twenty minutes or so, they finally had all the decorations up. Kagome smiled and admired their work.

"I love Halloween…" She said happily. "The decorations are the best part. Well, second best."

Sesshomaru just shrugged.

'_Agree to disagree.'_ He thought.

"I think my favorite part is dressing up." Kagome continued. "I wonder what I should be this year…"

She seemed to think for a moment.

"I was a cat last year… And I don't want to wear something skimpy…" she said to herself. "I'll ask Sango later."

Suddenly, she turned to him.

"Will you dress up?" She asked hopefully.

He immediately shook his head.

"Aww! Why not?" She asked, looking very disappointed.

"I don't want to." He said simply.

"But why not?" She asked.

He didn't reply.

"Come on, please?" She said, clasping her hands together. "Please dress up with me."

He looked at her. For once, he didn't have a problem declining.

"No." He said.

"_Please?_" She asked again, making puppy eyes.

His heart instantly sped up and he lost track of what he was about to say for a moment. He remembered a second later.

"No." He said a bit more firmly.

"_PLEASE?_" Kagome begged, knowing full well he'd give in sooner or later.

He still didn't give in though, and she continued to beg for several days afterward. Finally, he just couldn't deny her any longer. She squealed and threw her arms around him in a fierce hug.

"YAY! I knew you would!" She said happily.

He felt frozen. He'd never get used to hugs… Though he had to admit, he really liked it when she hugged him. It felt… good.

After school was over for the day, Kagome took him to a costume store. She was in a bit of a rush. After all, Halloween was only three days away. She tried to convince him to dress up as a vampire, but he flat out refused. She admitted defeat and began searching for other potential costumes. She found one that she thought might work and was about to show it to him when it dawned on her exactly what she was holding.

_'A zombie… that would never work…'_

She walked up and down the store, looking at ever costume.

'_Werewolf, cop, ghost, pirate, monk, Egyptian pharaoh, headless horseman, Frankenstein, Harry Potter… Ooh! A samurai! That might work!'_

Somehow, she managed to convince him to go into the dressing room and try it on. Neither of them liked it. With a sigh, she went back to her search.

'_Let's see here… What else do they have?'_ She wondered. _'A cowboy, a bloody butcher, a killer maniac, a gladiator, a soldier, a sailor, a Jedi, an alien, Darth Vader, Carver the Clown, a knight, an executioner, all manner of superheroes, a priest, the scream, a caveman, peter pan, robin hood, a Shepard… Ew, a hippie! That would be wrong on SO many levels… UGH! Why must this be so hard?!'_

She sighed softly and continued searching. She was determined to find the perfect costume for him, even if it killed her. Or at least, frustrated her to the point of exploding. Eventually, she found the perfect costume. Not just for him, but for her as well. Now she just needed to wait for the party… She wasn't sure she _could_ though. She was so excited! And so was Sango. She wasn't quite sure that Sesshomaru was though. He seemed to be dreading it, actually. When she asked him why, he simply said that he didn't like the idea of dressing up. Again, she asked him.

"I just… I don't like the idea of being something I'm not. Even if it's only pretend." He said quietly.

He instantly regretted saying that. He felt so stupid! Kagome quickly calmed him when she spoke.

"I know what you mean…" She said. "I'm the same way, really. But… sometimes it's fun to just pretend you're someone else. It's kind of… invigorating. It shows you what it's like not to be you. It gives you a chance to let go of your responsibilities, worries, fears… _everything_ for a night."

After hearing what she had to say, he couldn't help but relax a bit. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. Besides, it wasn't like he'd be going alone. She'd be there with him… He couldn't ask for any more than that.

**A/N I'll try to get the next chapter up soon guys. I'm sorry if I don't have it up by tonight. I'll have it up by tomorrow at the latest, I'm sure. Thanks for reading!**


	14. The Party

"What are _you_ supposed to be?" Sango asked.

"I'm a miko. You know, like the ones from the Feudal Era?" Kagome said.

"Yeah. You know, as unimaginative as that costume is, it looks really good on you." Sango said.

Kagome glared lightly at her.

"Gee, _thanks._" She said.

They both laughed a bit and started to walk to Sango's car.

"And what are you?" Kagome asked.

"A demon slayer. Also from the feudal era." Sango said.

"You know, I could make the same comments you did just moments earlier." Kagome pointed out.

They laughed again.

"So where's Sesshomaru?" Sango asked. "I thought you said he was coming."

"He is." Kagome assured her. "He had to run a quick errand."

"Ah."

"Where did you say the party was?"

"You'll see!"

When they arrived at the apartment building where the party was being held, Kagome looked up at it in awe. The building was obviously for the richer than rich.

"_Here_?!" Kagome asked in shock.

"A _really_ rich dude named Naraku is hosting it." Sango said. "He's a jerk, but everyone's coming since he's got an open bar and a live DJ."

"Must be nice to be so rich…" Kagome muttered.

"Yeah…" Sango agreed.

The elevator ride up to his apartment was excruciatingly long. Music thumped and bumped, vibrating through the floor and making their feet tingle. It was obnoxiously loud.

"You ready?" Sango asked, approaching the door.

"Duh." Kagome said with a laugh as she walked ahead of her friend and entered the party.

Everywhere she looked, there were people talking and drinking. There were cat-girls, vampires, cops, ninjas, prisoners, movie stars, and _so_ many other people there. It was unbelievable how many people there were.

"Come on, let's get a drink and mingle." Sango urged.

"I thought you were driving us home!" Kagome protested.

"We won't be leaving for hours yet, and by then one drink will have worn off." Sango reasoned. "Come on, this is the first party you've come to all year. Relax, meet people."

Sango didn't even wait for her to reply. She took off, shouting some other girl's name at the top of her lungs. Kagome held in a frustrated sigh as she walked over to the bar. The bartender looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to order.

"Surprise me." Kagome muttered.

"I've never seen you here before." A voice said next to her. "Nice costume by the way."

She turned and saw a man wearing a dark suit and shades staring at her over the top of the tinted lenses. He had long black hair and a smirk was plastered on his face.

"It's my first time here." She said.

"So what are you supposed to be?" He asked.

"A Feudal Era miko." She replied.

Just then, the bartender handed her her drink. She took it somewhat hesitantly. She'd never really drank before…

"A miko… I like it. It suits you." He said.

"Thanks." She said shyly. "So… what are you?"

"A spy." He replied.

"Oh." She said.

"So what's your major?" He asked. "That is, assuming you're in college."

"Yes, I'm in college." She said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

_'Why does everyone think I'm in high school?'_ She wondered in annoyance.

"I'm majoring in music." She told him.

"Music?" He asked.

"Yeah. You?"

She realized her error too late. Apparently he had only asked her what her major was so he could launch into a lengthy explanation of his own. Within ten minutes, she not only knew his major, but she also knew his career choice, his obsession with weaponry, and many other things she didn't care about. She also noticed that his ego was _way_ bigger than his super huge apartment, and he seemed to love himself more than anything else in the world. After about thirty minutes, she finally managed to think of a way to politely excuse herself.

"Excuse me." She said quietly, quickly heading to the bathroom.

She practically ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. The door behind her opened a moment later, and she looked up to tell the person she'd only be a moment when she caught the spy's eyes in the mirror.

"Hey." He said.

His voice was noticeably slurred, and she realized that he was drunk.

"I'm sorry, I'll only be a moment." She lied, hoping and praying that he'd leave.

"No need." He said with a smirk. "I've never done it in a bathroom before…"

"What?" She asked in shock.

_'I hope he doesn't mean what I think he means…'_ She silently prayed.

"I think you know." He said, coming closer. "This'll be fun…"

"I-I have to go!" She blurted out.

She made for the door, but before she even knew what was happening, she was pinned against the wall.

"Don't play hard to get." He murmured into her ear.

"Let me go!" She yelled.

She pushed him off and bolted out of the bathroom. She ran through the crowd, trying to locate Sango. She slammed hard into someone's back, and she immediately started to apologize.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed.

She felt relief wash over her when she realized who she'd run into.

"Oh my god, Sesshomaru! You have _no_ idea how glad I am to see you…" She murmured, hugging him tightly.

He stiffened, but didn't try to stop her. She pulled back after a moment to admire him. He was dressed as a demon prince from the Feudal Era, and he looked _amazing._ (**A/N It's the outfit he wears in the feudal era, minus the fur and sash. The swords are plastic.**)

"You look good." She said, brushing his bangs out of his face.

He shrugged lightly, not really seeming to agree.

"I'm going to go find Sango." She said.

He quickly started to object, having absolutely _no_ desire to be left alone.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon." She promised.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she took off. She was determined to find Sango. But that proved difficult. The crowd was _huge_, and it seemed the drink she'd had earlier was stronger than she though it'd be.

_'Maybe having that drink was a bad idea…'_ She thought as she wandered aimlessly through the crowd.

After searching for around twenty minutes, she finally gave up. She'd checked _everywhere._ The bar area, the living room, each of the three bathrooms, every single bedroom, the hallways, the kitchen and dining room… It was hopeless. Her friend had vanished into a sea of crazy people. One way or another, she managed to find Sesshomaru again within the crowds of people.

_What happened after that was a blur. _

All she knew was that, for whatever reason, Sesshomaru disappeared. She was alone once again. Not long after that, she decided it was time for her to leave. She knew she didn't have a car, but she was pretty sure she had enough money for a bus or a taxi or _something…_

"Sango will understand…" She told herself as she made her way to the elevator.

She was immensely grateful to find that the elevator was empty. She did _not _want to ride with any of the drunken people from the party. Although, she had a feeling she was drunk as well. The doors were almost fully closed when a hand appeared between them, making them open again. She tensed when the spy from earlier walked in. He smirked at her. He pushed a button, and the doors closed behind him.

"An elevator…" He murmured. "This'll be even better…"

He lunged forward suddenly in an attempt to kiss her. The elevator began to move, and she quickly dodged him. She moved to the opposite side of the elevator, and he followed.

"Stop play, I mean it." He said, seeming slightly irritated.

"I'm not playing!" She practically screamed.

She didn't understand how anyone could take her fleeing as _"playing"._

"Oh come on, I know you want me." He said, moving closer again.

"No I don't!" She yelled.

He completely ignored her and tried for a kiss. He completely missed, and ended up kissing the wall instead.

"I said _NO_!" She yelled, pushing her away with all her might.

He stumbled, off balance from his drink, and the elevator finally stopped. The doors opened and she bolted out.

"When a girl says no, she means _NO_!" She yelled over her shoulder.

One way or another, she managed to get back to the dormitory. She stumbled inside and somehow made it back to her room. Moments later, she was sound asleep.


	15. Revenge Is Sweet

For the longest time, he'd been struggling to figure out what he felt toward Kagome. Honestly, he'd begun to lose hope. He'd begun to think that he'd _never_ figure it out. But that night at the party…

When she left to find Sango, he had a feeling that she was drunk. At the very least, she was tipsy. That was a big part of the reason why he didn't want her to go. The other reason was… He didn't even know. When she finally came back, she was on the verge of panic. It took him close to ten minutes to get her to tell him what was wrong. Finally, she managed to calm down enough to tell him. She told him that some guy was stalking her and that they'd already tried to take advantage of her. By now, he was certain of the fact that she was drunk. But he had a horrible feeling that this wasn't a drunken hallucination. Her fear seemed very real. He was determined to do something about the man when he was suddenly dragged off into the crowd. Someone had grabbed him from behind and dragged him away. It took him a moment to break free from their hold. Their grip was surprisingly strong, and it was hard maneuver within the crowd. He whirled around and was surprised to see Kikyo there. She was obviously drunk, and was wearing the _exact_ same costume as Kagome.

"Kikyo? What are you-" He started to say.

He was stopped when she pressed her finger to his lips.

"Shh…" She whispered.

She started to lean in, and he quickly moved away. She pouted at him and started to move toward him again.

"Go away." He said, backing away from her.

"Aw, come on baby. Don't be like this." She said, not ceasing in her slow approach. "I know we had a fight, but it's okay. I forgive you…"

"I'm _not_ interested." He said coldly. "I thought I made that clear."

"You and I _both_ know that's not true…" She murmured.

"I don't lie." He said.

"Baby, _everyone's_ interested in me." She replied.

"I guess I'm not a person then." He said simply.

Suddenly, he found himself backed up against a wall. Before he even had a chance to look for an escape route, she was in front of him. She leaned again, and honestly, he panicked. Without even thinking, he shoved her off and made for the door. He quickly exited the party and headed for the elevator. He hated to admit it, but he knew he was breaking his promise to Kagome. She'd made him promise to stay for at least a couple hours. He hadn't even been there one. He stepped into the elevator and pushed the lobby button. He did his best to ignore the two people standing in the corner making out as he waited rather impatiently for the doors to open. When the elevator finally stopped, he quickly got out and walked outside. It was then that he realized he'd dropped his phone. Cursing inwardly, he went back inside and began to look for it. He eventually found it and went back down to the lobby. He bent down for a moment to fix his shoe after stepping out of the elevator and taking several steps toward the building's exit. Just moments later, the elevator opened again and Kagome came running out.

"When a girl says no, she means _NO_!" She yelled.

He looked up just in time to see the "spy" she'd described to him earlier stand up in the elevator.

"Bitch!" The man yelled as the doors closed.

He stood up just in time to be knocked over as Kagome ran past him. He landed hard on his rear and quickly got up again. She was running fast, and he had to sprint for a moment to catch up to her. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her back several steps. She'd nearly run into the street… She struggled to get away, but he held onto her.

"Kagome, relax! You're safe!" He said, trying to make her calm down.

Much to his relief, she seemed to recognize him after that.

"S-sessho…?" She asked hesitantly.

He sighed softly. He hated that nickname…

"Yes." He said simply.

Just like that, she broke down. She turned around and threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. He stiffened but didn't try to break away.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're here! I thought… I thought that…" She said, fighting back more tears.

He didn't know how to respond. He'd never been put in this kind of situation before… He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how. Eventually, he settled on just hugging her back. What else could he do? Thankfully, it seemed to be enough. She relaxed in his arms and slowly began to calm down. Once she was calm again, he began to walk her to his car.

"Where are we going?" She asked nervously.

"To my car. I'm taking you home." He replied.

It didn't take a genius to tell that she was drunk, so he was trying to be careful with her. He didn't want to somehow freak her out again.

"Home?" She repeated.

"Yes." He said.

"Okay." She murmured. "I was going to try to get home earlier… Before the spy… and the elevator… and…"

"I'll get you home." He promised.

He managed to get her to his car and helped her get in. He buckled her seatbelt for her (since she couldn't seem to figure out how to make it work) before closing the door and getting in himself. He went to grab his keys when he suddenly realized something: he didn't have them. He swore under his breath and opened his door again.

"Where are you going?" Kagome asked, her eyes wide in what seemed to be fear.

It was clear she didn't want to be left alone. Honestly, he didn't much like the idea of her being by herself either. But without his keys, they weren't going anywhere.

"I'll be right back." He said. "Just wait here."

She nodded and he closed his door. He looked in every spot where he'd walked (or ran) since he'd been outside, and found nothing. Reluctantly, he went inside to look for them. He searched the lobby, but it was clear that they weren't there either. With a sigh, he got into the elevator and went back to the top floor. He was loath to enter the party again, but he really didn't have a choice. He had to find his keys. He wandered around the party, searching everywhere he could think of for them. He just hoped that someone hadn't stolen them… He felt himself grow angry suddenly when he spotted them. The "spy" from earlier had them in his hand as he stood there flirting with a random woman. Sesshomaru calmly walked over to him, intent on making him pay for treating Kagome like he had. He tapped the man on the shoulder and he turned to him.

"What?" The man snapped. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Without any warning, Sesshomaru's fist shot out and connected with the man's face. He flew backward before crashing into the ground. He quickly sat up, his empty hand covering his now broken and bleeding nose.

"What the hell was that for?!" The man demanded furiously.

"For trying to force yourself onto my friend." He replied. "When a girl says no, she means no."

He walked over to the man and bent down.

"By the way, these are mine." He said calmly as he plucked his keys from the man's hand.

Without another word, he exited the party, ignoring the stares he was receiving. He felt considerably better now that he'd punched that man. But he didn't quite understand _why_ that made him feel better. He didn't know why he'd even punched the man in the first place… He wasn't a violent person normally. When the elevator finally stopped, he stepped out and hurried back to his car. He got back in and started the car. Kagome seemed to have passed out, and he was somewhat thankful for that. He wasn't quite sure he could handle her breaking down again. After a while, they made it back home. He turned the car off and got out. He walked around the car and opened her door. He unbuckled her and tried to wake her up. When that didn't work, he sighed softly before gathering her into his arms. He pushed the door shut with his foot and carried her bridal style inside the dormitory. She stayed asleep until they reached the hall where their room was located. When she began to move around, he carefully set her down on her feet.

"Can you stand?" He asked as she swayed uncertainly on her feet.

She just nodded and he helped her to the door. He unlocked it and opened the door for her. He watched as she stumbled inside and somehow managed to make it back to her room. He stepped into the dorm and locked the door before going to her room to make sure she was going to bed. He was relieved to find that she was already sound asleep on her bed. He hesitated a moment before quietly going in and slipping her shoes off of her feet. Knowing full well that she was wearing her normal clothes underneath her costume (since she'd put the costume on in the living room right in front of him earlier) he very carefully took her miko outfit off of her. Once she was in just her regular day clothes again, he covered her up with her blankets and exited her room. After that, he went into his room and changed into his pajamas. He carelessly tossed his costume into a corner, intent on throwing it away the next day. With a sigh, he laid down on his bed. The same question that had been plaguing him for several days once again passed through his mind.

_'Do I like Kagome?'_


	16. Confused

_Do I like Kagome? It doesn't really matter if I do or don't. She has no interest in dating. She said so herself. It could never work, anyway. She perfect, and I'm not. She's everything while I'm nothing. She'd never want to go out with me, even if she was interested in dating. We'll never be more than just friends. I'll just have to learn to live with that._

He sighed softly and closed his journal. He didn't know why he was thinking like that. He wasn't even certain that he liked her. How was he supposed to know? He'd never felt like that toward anyone before… Not once. A few minutes later, he began to write again.

_I like her smile._

_I like her laugh._

_I like the way that I can talk to her about anything._

_I like the way her eyes sparkle when she's happy._

_I like how she's always helping people._

_I like that she gave me a chance._

_I like the fact that we're friends._

_I like spending time with her._

_I like that we similar interests._

_I like how independent she is._

_I like how she's not afraid to be herself._

_I like how friendly she is._

_I like her._

He blinked and quickly erased the last sentence. No, he didn't know that for sure. Not yet. Even if he did like her, he refused to have it written down somewhere. With his luck, she'd end up seeing it. His thoughts drifted back to her once again. He was so confused… In the past, writing had helped him sort out his thoughts and feelings. He could only hope that that hadn't changed.

_She stands up for me._

_She helps me whenever I'll let her._

_She wants know me better._

_She gets along with my family._

_She thinks I'm talented._

_She thinks I'm smart._

So what? What did it matter what she thought of him? He knew he shouldn't care, and yet he did. He sighed again and closed his journal. Writing, for once, didn't help him. Instead, all it did was make him more confused. He hated being confused. It was so frustrating… He forced himself to relax and checked the time. It was almost five-thirty in the morning. He hadn't gotten any sleep. He so wasn't looking forward to school… He'd been dreading school pretty much every day since the party last week. Being at school meant constantly being with Kagome, and that didn't help his confusion at all. All it did was make things worse for him. It wasn't that he didn't like being with her, it was just that he was confused about his feelings for her. He didn't want her to pick up on his confusion. He knew full well that she'd ask about it, and he really didn't want to have to deal with that. Most people would just lie about it. But he wasn't most people. He either told the truth or he said nothing at all. Some people argued that withholding information was a form of lying, but he disagreed.

Around half-an-hour later, the alarm on his phone went off. He turned it off and got up. He turned his light on and went to his dresser. He put on a plain T-shirt and pulled a gray hoodie on over it. Then he put on some pants and his shoes before grabbing his phone and turning it on silent. Once the sound was off, he put it in his pocket and grabbed his backpack. Once he had everything, he turned his light off and stepped out into the hall. He closed his door and went into the living room. He set his backpack down on the couch before going into the kitchen and pouring himself a bowl of cereal. Moments later, Kagome came out. She was wearing a green shirt with a light blue zippered sweater on over it, jeans, and her sneakers. She also set her backpack on the couch before coming to get some cereal.

"Good morning!" She said cheerily.

"Morning." He said.

"Sleep good?" She asked.

He just shrugged. He was relieved when she didn't ask him any more questions. Instead, she began to quickly eat her cereal. He did the same, and they were ready to leave just a few minutes later. They got to the school early, like usual. But Kagome didn't mind. She actually like sitting in the English room in the morning. It was quiet and peaceful, and she really enjoyed it. Plus, it gave her time to prepare for Kikyo. She hated having to deal with her everyday, but she figured it could be worse. After all, Sesshomaru had to deal with a ton of fan girls 24/7. Honestly, she was pretty sure that they were multiplying.

_'Like cockroaches…'_ She thought.

She nearly shuddered. It seemed like only seconds before class began, and nothing particularly interesting happened. They received several worksheets for homework, and the bell rang for them to go to their next class. They had a surprise test in math, and honestly, Kagome panicked. Math was always her worst subject. Sesshomaru, however, knew he did alright. He'd been expecting something like this to happen sooner or later, so he'd been studying extra hard. Besides, it gave him something to do during those sleepless nights. They got homework, and were given a few minutes to start on it in class before the bell rang. Kagome got through about half of it, and Sesshomaru nearly finished by the time the bell rang. In Science they had a lab to do. They were doing things with chemicals and other things, and that took up all of their class time. There was no homework, and Kagome silently thanked the gods for that. In P.E. they started doing fitness testing. They did the flexibility test, and measured everyone's height and weight. Since there were so many students, that was all that they managed to get done. When P.E. was finally over, Kagome happily went to lunch with Sesshomaru following close behind her. As per usual, they met up with Sango in the lunch line and sat down with her at the table. She and Kagome talked about things like her singing class and whatnot while he just ate in silence, only half listening to them. He was still distracted by his feelings for Kagome. He was so confused… When lunch finally ended, they headed over to Art. Kagome really loved that class. There was never any homework. It was like a dream come true. Art seemed to go by in seconds and before they knew it, it off to music. Of course, they were rehearsing for an upcoming concert. Kagome was certain that Mr. Ongaku would pick Sesshomaru to do the opening again, but so far, he hadn't made any decisions.

When school was finally over, Kagome went straight to Sango's dorm study while Sesshomaru went to their dorm. He went straight to his room and started on his homework. He even started working on assignments that the teachers hadn't even assigned yet. When he was done with those, he started working on projects that weren't due for a long time yet. When he ran out of homework to do, he went into the kitchen and made a small dinner for himself. He quickly ate and then did the dishes. Once he was done with the dishes, he cleaned the rest of the kitchen, then the living room, then the bathroom, then his own room (even though it really wasn't messy). By six o'clock, he'd run out of things to clean, and thus things to distract himself with. He tried reading for a while, but that didn't help. Listening to music didn't help either, and he didn't feel like watching T.V. He sighed softly and laid down on his bed. He'd really been hoping to put her out of his mind for a while, but it was clear that nothing he did would help him achieve that. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Maybe if he just let his thoughts flow freely he'd be able to figure things out.


	17. Busy

**A/N About a week or so has passed since the last chapter. By the way, I've changed my mind about Tanoshi. He's not an important character after all.**

Okay, he admitted it. He liked her. A lot. But what was he supposed to do? She wasn't interested in dating. Not at all.

'_Not that she'd ever choose me anyway…'_ He thought sadly as he finished the last of his homework.

He sighed softly. Kagome was out again. She had her music class to go to, and then she was going to Sango's dorm to study for who knew how long. He stared at the ceiling, trying to think of what to do. He was so lonely without her there… With another sigh, he got up and exited his room. He figured he may as well get some fresh air. After all, he didn't anything better to do.

Meanwhile, Kagome was just getting back from her music class. She'd had a really good day so far. Tanoshi had given her some great news.

**FLASHBACK**

"Well, I think that's it." Tanoshi said.

"What?" Kagome asked, not understanding what he meant.

"I don't think you need anymore classes, Kagome." He said. "You're a natural. Absolutely amazing. You are by far the best student I've had in a long time."

Kagome broke into a smile when she heard that.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really." He said, returning her smile.

"That's great! I was worried that I'd never get it." She said.

He laughed a little.

"I'm not entirely sure you even needed the classes." He said. "You've been amazing since day one. You just needed a confidence booster."

"Yeah, I suppose so." She said. "Thank you for all your help, Tanoshi. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." He replied. "It's my pleasure."

She smiled again and gathered her things.

"I do still need those five dollars." He said with a goofy smirk on his face.

She laughed and pulled out her wallet.

"Yeah, yeah, you're in desperate need of my money, I know." She said jokingly.

He laughed a little and took the bill from her.

"Bye Tanoshi! I'll see you around!" She said with a wave as she left.

"Goodbye." He said simply as he watched her leave.

**END FLASHBACK**

She grinned to herself and went into the dormitory. She quickly went to Sango's dorm and knocked on the door.

"It's open!" Sango shouted through the door.

Kagome opened it and went inside.

"Hey Kagome!" Sango said with a smile from where she sat on her bed. "How was class?"

"Oh, it was great!" Kagome said.

She told Sango hat had happened, and Sango broke out into a smile.

"That's great Kagome!" She said happily. "See, I _told_ you you're an awesome singer!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just rub it in why don't you?" Kagome replied with a smile.

"I will, thank you." Sango said.

Kagome giggled and sat down next to her.

"So where's your roommate this time?" She asked.

"Who, Ayame? She's out with Koga again, I think." Sango replied in an uninterested tone. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. It seems like she's always out doing something these days." Kagome said.

"Like someone else we know." Sango said.

"Who?" Kagome asked.

"You. _Duh._" Sango replied.

"I'm not out that often!" Kagome said.

"Lately you have been." Sango said. "Yesterday is a perfect example."

"I wasn't out that much yesterday." Kagome said.

"First you had school, then immediately afterward you went to buy some groceries, then you went window shopping, then you went to your singing class, then you went to the park for a while, then you met up with your mom at the mall, then you came here to study, then you took off to do god knows what else before returning here at exactly nine-thirty-two last night." Sango said.

"Okay, so I was a little busy yesterday, big deal." Kagome said.

"A _little_? Girl, you were all over the place yesterday!" Sango replied.

"So what?" Kagome asked.

"Your friends hardly see you anymore outside of school, Kagome! It's getting lonely!" Sango said.

"_Friends?_ I have _a_ friend, and that's you." Kagome said.

It was the same thing she always said back in high school whenever Sango said that she had more than one friend.

"You and I both know that that's not true. At least, not anymore." Sango said. "You have Sesshomaru too now, remember?"

"Yeah… Sorry. That response was a force of habit." Kagome said. "We're definitely friends."

"I know, and I think that's great." Sango said with a smile. "I think it's great that his first friend is you."

Kagome smiled back at her friend.

"Yeah, me too." She said. "But only because I'm selfish and I like to be important like that."

Sango laughed a little at her friend's joke.

"So have I really been that busy lately?" Kagome asked.

"No.' Sango replied. "More."

"Oh." Kagome said. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize." Sango said. "Just make some time for your friends once in a while, okay?"

"Okay." Kagome agreed.

"And don't forget to relax a bit, too." Sango added.

"Don't worry, I won't" Kagome promised with a smile.

It was late when she finally finished studying with Sango. They chatted for around ten minutes before finally saying goodbye. She gathered her things and went out into the hall, closing the door behind her. She hurried down the hall and up the stairs, hoping and praying she wouldn't get caught. After all, it was past twelve-thirty, and it wasn't the weekend. She quickly went up the stairs and down the hall. She tried the door, only to find that it was locked. After rummaging around in her pockets for a moment, she pulled out her key and unlocked the door. She bolted inside the moment she unlocked it. Once she was in, she closed the door and locked it again. She went to her room and set her things down before getting into her pajamas and brushing her hair. Once she was finished, she went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She stepped out into the hall again and quietly opened Sesshomaru's door. He was sound asleep. She smiled softly at his peaceful face and quietly shut his door again. Pleased that he wasn't having any nightmares again, she went to her room and climbed into bed.


	18. Please?

**A/N A month has passed. By the way, thanks to my 64th reviewer for reminding me of this idea. I'd come up with it a while back and I forgot about it… ^_^"**

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"_Please?_"

"No_._"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"But why?"

He sighed softly in annoyance.

"Kagome, I don't want to go."

"But _why_?" She asked.

"I just don't." He replied simply.

"Come on! It'll be fun!"

"I _highly_ doubt that."

Now it was Kagome's turn to sigh.

"Come on. _Please_?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"You said that already."

"I'm aware."

"Why don't you want to go?"

"I've been to enough parties to last me a lifetime."

"You've been to one."

"And that's _more_ than enough."

"This isn't even a party!"

"Knowing the students here, it'll certainly become one."

"You don't know that for sure."

"If a calm, peaceful piano recital in the auditorium can turn into a party, a school dance _definitely_ can."

"This time might different!"

"I doubt it."

"Come on, what'll it take to convince you?"

"I'm not going, and nothing you say is going to change my mind."

"But _why_?"

"Because I don't want to."

Sesshomaru was getting annoyed. Why couldn't she accept the fact that he didn't want to go? Why couldn't she just let it go?

"But _why_ don't you want to go? And don't say 'I just don't want to' again. I want an actual reason."

"There doesn't _need_ to be a reason."

"There's a reason behind everything, Sesshomaru. You said so yourself."

_'Dammit.'_

"There has to be _some_ reason."

"I already told you."

"I meant _besides_ the fact that it might turn into a party."

He didn't reply.

"Come on, even if it does, we could just leave!"

"I'm still not going."

"Please?"

"Why don't you just go with Sango? I'm sure she'll be there."

"Yeah, but she's going with her boyfriend."

"Then go with one of your other friends."

"I don't _have_ any other friends, and quite frankly, I don't _want_ any. I'm happy with the two I've got."

"Then why don't you just 'go solo' like a bunch of other girls always do?"

"Because that's just _sad._"

Once again, he didn't reply. She continued to beg him all day long, but he didn't relent. She didn't get it. It seemed like every time she wanted to do something with him, he had some reason not to. It was almost like he was trying to distance himself from her. And he _was_. He was hoping that putting some space between them would help make his feelings go away. But instead, all it did was make him feel worse. He'd never felt so alone before, let alone felt as sad as he did now. But he knew it didn't matter. As long as she was happy, none of it mattered. He didn't care how much it hurt him. As long as she was happy… And he knew she'd be _much_ happier without him. And yet, without her, he himself could _never_ be happy. But what did it matter, anyway? And wasn't like anyone but him actually cared… They walked into the dorm and she tried again while they were standing in the living room.

"Sesshomaru, please?" Kagome begged. "Please come with me? Just for a little while?"

"Kagome, I _don't_ want to go." He said, trying to hide his irritation.

"Come _on_, Sesshomaru! It won't kill you to come!" She said, growing irritated herself.

"I never said it would." He replied. "But that still doesn't mean I want to go."

"You know what? Fine." She said angrily. "I'll just go by myself."

Without another word, she whirled around and stormed into her room. He flinched when he heard her door slam shut. He looked down, trying to ignore how upset he suddenly felt. He didn't understand why she was so mad. It was just a dance. What did it matter? Without a word, he turned and exited the dorm.

She hadn't meant to get so upset. He'd just been so frustrating lately! He never wanted to do anything with anyone, he hardly came out of his room, it seemed like he was trying to avoid her… She knew that something was wrong. Something was obviously upsetting him, and she'd hoped that by now he trusted her enough to tell her what it was. Apparently, she was wrong.

_'Maybe we really aren't friends.'_ She thought sadly. _'Friends trust each other, and he obviously doesn't trust me.'_

She sighed softly and sat down on her bed.

_'I shouldn't have gotten mad at him like that. I know he doesn't like stuff like that…'_ She thought.

She sat in silence for a few moments, staring at her door.

_'I should go apologize…'_ She decided.

She stood up and went back out into the living room. When she saw that he wasn't there, she went to his bedroom door and knocked lightly. When she didn't get a response, she knocked a little louder. She sighed softly and decided to take a chance. She slowly opened his door and peered inside. He wasn't there. She sighed softly, realizing he'd left. Not knowing what else to do, she went back into her room.

Sesshomaru wandered around the city, not really knowing where he was going, and not really caring. He didn't even care how long he was gone. He knew the eleven o'clock curfew rule wasn't enforced. But even if it were, he still wouldn't have cared. As long as he was able to get away, he didn't care. But he _did_ care about how she felt, and something told him that she wouldn't be happy if he stayed out all night. With a sigh, he checked the time. Almost midnight. He glanced up at the sky and looked at the moon. It was the only comfort he could he find. It always had been. With another sigh, he turned and slowly headed back to the dorm.


	19. Swans

He couldn't bear the thought of her being mad at him any longer. With a soft sigh, he stepped out of his room, fully prepared to apologize to her. Though he still wasn't entirely sure what he'd even done wrong… He came to an abrupt halt when they met face to face in their small hallway. They both started speaking at the same time and instantly fell silent again. He swallowed nervously before trying again.

"Kagome, I'm sorry. About yesterday, I mean… I just-" He started to say.

"I know. It's okay." She interrupted. "I'm sorry too. I know that a school dance is _way_ out of your comfort zone, and I shouldn't have gotten angry."

Not knowing how else to respond, he just nodded.

"I have an idea." Kagome said after a moment of awkward silence.

He looked at her in faint curiosity.

"Why don't we think of something to do that we can _both _enjoy?" She suggested. "There's no point in wasting a perfectly good Saturday."

He nodded again, forcing himself to seem like he liked the idea. And he did, he really did, but he just didn't feel like doing _anything_. He'd seriously considered just staying in bed all day earlier.

"So what are some things you like to do?" She asked. "Besides reading and listening to music, I mean."

He shrugged.

"I don't know… I've never really done things with other people much." He replied.

"I know." She said quietly, remembering what she'd learned about his childhood. "Is there anything that you've heard of that you'd like to do?"

He shrugged again. She thought for a moment, trying to think of something. Suddenly, her face and eyes lit up.

"Come on, I know the perfect thing." She said with a smile.

She led the way out of the dorm and he followed behind her, his mind elsewhere. She noticed how sad he seemed, and she sought a way to cheer him up. She didn't know why he was so sad, but she had a feeling that he didn't want to talk about it. She thought, trying to think of some way to make him feel a bit better. After a few moments, she thought of something. Something she'd meant to tell him earlier.

"Did you hear?" She asked.

He looked at her in confusion.

'_Hear what?'_

She smiled again, realizing that he didn't know.

"Your father is coming to visit." She said.

Much to her relief, he seemed to brighten a little. It made her happy to see that. He hardly ever saw his father, and she knew that the two of them were close.

"When?" He asked.

"In a few days." She replied, noting with a bit of relief that some of his sadness seemed to have dissipated.

'_For now, at least.'_ She thought. _'But what if he starts getting sad again?'_

She just hoped that she could keep him happy until his father came. Once Toga arrived, she was certain that Sesshomaru wouldn't need cheering up.

"Why is he coming?" He asked.

"He didn't say specifically why." She replied. "I'm sure he'll tell you when he gets here."

He just nodded, seeming to slip back into his melancholy again somewhat. She sighed inwardly. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't stand to see that sad look in his eyes. It pained her somehow, and she didn't understand why. It didn't make any sense to her.

'_We're friends. It only makes sense that I don't like to see him said.'_ She told herself.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else, some other reason for her reaction.

They walked down the stairs and out of the dormitory. She led the way to his car and they both climbed in.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"It's a surprise." She replied with a smile.

He resisted the urge to frown.

'_If she won't tell me where we're going, how am I supposed to drive us there?'_ He wondered silently. _'Things would be so much easier if she could drive…'_

"I'll give you the directions, but I'm telling you where we're going." She said as if she could read his mind. "You'll like it, I promise."

He wasn't so sure. Regardless of his doubts, he backed out of the parking space and let her direct him to their destination.

"Take a left here." She said after a half-hour long drive.

He obeyed and made the turn. He was surprised when he suddenly saw a large park ahead of them. He glanced at her, confirming that they were in the right place. She read him like a book and nodded with a smile. He turned his attention back onto the road and drove into the small parking lot. Once they were parked, he turned off the car and they both got out. She walked over to him and led the way to the center of the park, away from the play-structures, buildings, and people. He was shocked by what he saw. There was a large crystal clear lake with two swans swimming in it. There were also lily pads and beautiful white flowers floating in the water. Surrounding the lake were all manner of beautiful flowering trees. The scene was breath taking. He hadn't seen such natural beauty since his stepmother was alive, back when she used to take him hiking and such in various locations in America. It was amazing, and he loved every bit of it. Kagome couldn't help but smile while she watched him take every thing in. She could see the awe in his eyes, and she immediately knew she'd made the right decision bringing him there.

'_I knew he'd like it.'_ She thought happily.

"What do you think?" She asked softly.

"It's beautiful…" He breathed.

She smiled wider and led him to her favorite spot. She sat down underneath a large cherry tree near the water's edge and patted the soft grass next to her. He sat down beside her, his eyes locked on the swans in the water.

"They're pretty, aren't they?" She asked.

He nodded, and she noticed the slight bit of sadness in his eyes. Suddenly growing worried, she spoke again.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

He nodded again.

"You look sad." She said. "Why?"

"Swans were very special to my stepmother." He said quietly. "She loved them a lot."

Suddenly, she understood the sadness he was feeling. She knew that he'd been very attached to her.

"Why were they so special?" She asked curiously.

"She used to tell me stories at night, after everyone else had gone to bed." He said quietly. "Once she told me the story of the night she'd fallen in love with my father."

_**FLASHBACK**_

"What story would you like to her tonight, sweetie?" Izayoi asked as she sat on the edge of a young Sesshomaru's bed.

"A new one?" He said uncertainly.

She smiled softly at him. He was always so unsure of himself…

"Alright. Let's see here… Oh, I've got the perfect one!" She said.

He looked at her curiously.

"This is a story about your father and I," she started, "and the night I realized I was in love."

This seemed to catch his interest, and he sat a little straighter, listening intently.

"We were at a lake surrounded by trees, and we were sitting by the water. We sat in silence for a while and just looked at the full moon. It was gorgeous, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky."

She smiled softly, her gaze distant as she recalled the night.

"After a while, he spoke. He directed my attention to the lake and pointed the two swans. They were leaning their heads together, creating a heart shape between them." She said. "He looked at me and said: 'There comes a time in every life when we find the one we've been looking for. The perfect person, the one who makes everything seem so perfect. I never thought that I'd find that person. I always thought that love was just a myth, that I would never feel it. But Izayoi, you've stolen my heart. I love you, and I want to be with you forever.'"

She smiled again as she recalled his next words.

"And then he asked me to marry him." She said softly. "I was never happier than I was on that night. He used the swans to help him reveal his heart, and I will never forget that. Those beautiful creatures of love will always hold a special place in my heart.'

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"No wonder they were so special to her…" Kagome murmured.

He nodded and they both sat in silence for a while and watched the swans swim. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that they realized how late it was. They went back to the car and began the drive. Kagome chattered happily, glad to have been able to have such a wonderful day with him. Sesshomaru made a turn and drove straight down the road they were on before slowing for a stoplight. Seconds later, he heard the screeching of tires and Kagome's terrified shriek. Then a crash.


	20. Early

_Screeching tires._

_Kagome's scream._

_A crash._

An out of control eighteen-wheeler practically flew down the street toward them. There was no time to react. It slammed into the driver's side of his car and sent them flying. The car flipped and rolled and landed upside down. Without warning, another car that was unable to slow down in time slammed into the passenger side, sending them skidding across the street once more. By now, all traffic had come to a halt, save for the truck that had his them first. It was obvious that the driver was drunk, but he had enough sense still to abandon his vehicle and run. A large man climbed out of the second car and chased after him, yelling for someone to call an ambulance.

Kagome opened her eyes and tried to figure out what was going on. Her vision was blurry and she was vaguely aware of the pain she was feeling. Slowly, she recalled what had happened. She looked over at Sesshomaru and felt a wave of relief wash over her when he stirred. His eyes blinked open, and he looked confused for a moment. He recovered after a moment and quickly unbuckled. She did the same and tried to open her door. It was jammed shut due to the blow it had received. His was stuck as well, and nothing he did seemed to help. Finally, he resorted to kicking it open, not caring how much he damaged it by doing so. The car was totaled anyway. Once it was open, he climbed out. She climbed out after him, being careful of the glass from the windows. Once she was out, she checked herself over. She was okay for the most part. She had cuts from the glass, and she was pretty sure that she was going to have some nasty bruises soon, but other that that, she was okay. The car that had hit her side had been a small car, luckily for her. But the truck… She immediately turned her attention to Sesshomaru. She noticed him sway a little on his feet, so she grabbed his hand and led him to the sidewalk. Once there, she sat him down on the curb and checked him over. He seemed okay for the most part (thank his demonic defenses for that), but he did have an injury on the side of his head. It wasn't too serious really, but like all head wounds did, it was bleeding a lot. That explained why he'd been unsteady like that. Blood loss.

It didn't take long for the authorities to arrive. The police arrested the truck driver for drunk driving while the nurses from the ambulance took care of Kagome and Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru didn't need to be taken to the hospital, much to Kagome's relief. His injury wasn't serious for a demon, and they said he would be fine in a few days. A week at most. Their injuries were bandaged and Sesshomaru called the insurance company to deal with his car. It was junk now, so a tow truck came and hauled it away. The insurance company refused to get involved for whatever reason, and he hung up in irritation. He had a rather sever headache (not surprisingly), and it was definitely affecting his mood. Because of that, he wasn't sure that he could handle them. At least, not right then. Kagome came back over to him after calling her mom and telling her what had happened.

"So how are we going to get home?" She asked.

He shrugged. He had no idea. He didn't have any money with him, and he knew she didn't either, meaning taking a bus or a taxi was out of the question. Kagome sighed.

"I guess we're walking then…" She mumbled.

Just then, his phone began to vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Sesshomaru? Are you okay?" Toga said, his voice laced with worry.

"I'm fine…" Sesshomaru replied somewhat tiredly.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

"Wait, how did you find out?" He asked.

"It's on the news." His father replied. "And I got a phone call."

"From who?" Sesshomaru asked.

"An old friend of mine." Toga said.

"Who?" Sesshomaru repeated.

"Her name is Satori." Toga said. "She's Kagome's mother, apparently."

Sesshomaru blinked. Surprise, surprise.

"Are you sure okay?" His father asked.

"I'm fine." Sesshomaru said.

"Alright… If you're sure."

"I'm positive."

"Okay. By the way, did Kagome tell you that I'm coming to visit?"

"Yes."

"Well there's been a change in plans."

Sesshomaru's spirit sank. His father wasn't coming anymore, was he? It wouldn't surprise him much. His father's wife did everything she could to isolate Sesshomaru from his father and the rest of the family. As far as she was concerned, he wasn't family. Never had been, never would be. She never saw him. All she saw was his mother through him. His mother, whom she hated more than anyone else. It hurt, but he'd learned to accept it. He relaxed when his father spoke again.

"I'll be here a bit early, it seems." His father said.

"Early?" Sesshomaru repeated in surprise. "Why?"

"Akemi insisted." He replied, referring to his wife.

"Why?" Sesshomaru replied, suddenly growing wary.

She couldn't have a good reason for that. She just couldn't.

Toga was aware of Akemi's rejection of his son, and one way or another, had managed to change her opinion of him. Unfortunately though, it had been too little too late. The damage had been done, and Sesshomaru had already moved away. It seemed unlikely that they would ever mend their relationship.

"I don't know." Toga admitted.

"When will you be here?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Tomorrow morning at around eight or so." Toga replied.

"Alright." Sesshomaru said.

"I have you're the dormitory's address already, so I'll just take a cab there." Toga said. "What's your room number?"

"336." Sesshomaru replied.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

He hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. Kagome looked at him curiously.

"Who was that?" She asked.

"My father." He replied. "He'll be here early."

"Really?" Kagome asked in surprise. "When?"

"Tomorrow. He's taking a cab to the dormitory." Sesshomaru said.

Kagome sighed.

"I wish _we_ could take a cab right about now…" She mumbled.

With another sigh, she began walking.

"Come on, we may as well start walking. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get home."


	21. Sleeping In

The walk, as expected, was dreadfully _boring._ Kagome tried making conversation, but was only rewarded with non-verbal or short, often single worded, responses from Sesshomaru. She inwardly sighed.

_'Just when I get him talking to me again, too…'_ She thought sadly. _'Is he still upset because I got mad at him yesterday?'_

She looked over at him again. She almost didn't realize it when she started talking again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked.

He nodded. Just when she thought that was the only response she was going to get, he spoke.

"Just a headache."

She smiled softly.

"Well that's to be expected." She said.

He just nodded again.

'_And he's quiet again.'_ She thought in slight frustration.

Suddenly, he spoke again.

"Are _you_ okay?" He asked. "You got hurt too."

She smiled again, her frustration dissipating.

"I'm alright. Just a few bumps and bruises. Nothing serious." She replied.

He didn't respond. Kagome heaved a silent sigh of relief when she realized that they were almost back to the dormitory. They made it back about ten minutes later and trudged tiredly up the stairs. He fished around in his pockets and sighed softly when he realized he'd lost his key. Kagome searched for hers and quickly pulled it out. She unlocked the door and they walked inside. Once they were inside, she locked the door again and they both went to bed. The next day, she found that she was very sore. She quickly sat up and instantly regretted doing so. She was really sore… She stiffly sat up and walked out into the hall. Not surprisingly, Sesshomaru was already awake. He was in the kitchen leaning against the counter while he ate some plain toast.

"Morning." She said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Morning." He replied tiredly.

She looked at him curiously for a moment before speaking again.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" She asked.

He shook his head a tiny a bit.

"Was it because of your headache?" She asked.

"Partly." He admitted.

"What was the other reason?" She asked.

He didn't reply. He wasn't about to tell her that the main reason he hadn't been able to sleep was because he was still stressing about what to do about his feelings for her. When he didn't reply, she decided not to press the matter. She went over to the cupboard and pulled out some cereal. She went over to another cupboard and pulled out a bowl. She then went to one of the drawers and grabbed a spoon before going to the fridge and getting the milk out. Once she was done making her breakfast and putting everything away, she began to eat. He finished his toast just moments later and went over to wash the small plate he'd been using. As soon as he was done, she spoke up again.

"Sesshomaru. I think you should go back to bed." She said.

He looked like he really didn't want to, but she wasn't giving in.

"Come on, Sesshomaru. It doesn't take a genius to tell that you're tired." She said.

He sighed inwardly. Was it really that obvious?

"Now go on. Shoo." Kagome said.

Reluctantly, he went to his room and crawled back into bed. He was asleep within minutes. When Kagome was done eating and cleaning her dishes, she very quietly opened his door to check on him. She couldn't help but smile when she saw his peaceful expression as he slept.

'_He looks like such an angel…'_ She thought.

She quietly shut the door and went out into the living room. She sat down on the couch and turned the T.V. on, making sure to keep the volume down low. The last thing she wanted to do was wake him up… About an hour later, she heard a loud knock on the door. She winced slightly, hoping and praying that whoever was at the door would quiet down. She turned the T.V. off and went to the door. She was surprised by who was there.

"Koga? What are you doing here?" She asked in confusion.

"I came to hang out with you guys." He replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Ayame is out with her friends for today, so..."

"Okay, but you're going to have to be _very_ quiet." She said, stepping aside to let him in. "Sesshomaru's asleep."

"Asleep? You're kidding, right?" He asked.

"No. Why would I be?" She asked.

"He never sleeps later than six or seven." He replied.

"He didn't sleep very much last night." She explained.

"Oh. How come?" He asked.

"I don't know. He didn't tell me." She replied.

"Maybe I can ask him later." Koga suggested.

"How do you know he'll tell you?" Kagome asked.

"I'm the closest things he'd ever had to a friend before he met you." Koga explained. "He's talked to about things like this before. Of course, I had to push him a little, but still."

After their conversation, Kagome shut the door and they sat down on the couch. She turned the T.V. back on and they began to watch some random show that just happened to be on. A while later, she got up to check on Sesshomaru. She quietly opened his door and peeked in. She broke out into a smile once more when she saw that he was still asleep. She closed the door and walked around to the other side of the bed so she could see his face. Besides the slight frown on his face, he looked calm and peaceful. Kagome smiled softly at him and sat down on the edge of the bed in front of his stomach. She reached a hand out and gently stroked his hair. Instantly his frown disappeared and he seemed to completely relax.

'_I wonder what he's dreaming about…'_ She wondered as she continued stroking his hair.

She stayed there for endless minutes, just watching him sleep. After a while, she finally stood up and quietly left the room. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear him whimper softly in loss.

**A/N Sorry it took me so long to update. My Internet's been down, so I've only been able to get online at school for the last week or so. **


	22. I Want the Truth

"So what's going on with you and Kagome?" Koga asked as he sat down on the edge of Sesshomaru's bed.

When Koga and Kagome had realized that Sesshomaru was awake, she'd gone out to run a quick errand. Now that she was gone, he figured he may as well have a talk with his friend.

"Nothing." Sesshomaru replied emotionlessly, never looking up from his book.

And it was true. At least, so he thought. He really didn't think that there was anything "going on" between them. Sometimes he even doubted that Kagome wanted him as a friend. Like when she'd gotten angry at him before… Koga sighed. It was clear he'd have to try a slightly different approach.

"Let me rephrase that." He said. "What are you _feelings _for her?"

"I don't have any." Sesshomaru replied, lying just as much to himself as he was to Koga.

He knew _exactly_ what "feelings" Koga was talking about, and he had absolutely _no_ intention of telling _anyone_ about them. Not one single person would ever know. And he thought that it would be better that way. That way she could get on with her life and find someone worthy of her, and he could pretend he was okay without anyone knowing any better. Unfortunately, he didn't do a very good job of convincing either of them.

"Bullshit." Koga said simply. "Absolute crap. You expect me to believe that?"

Finally, he rewarded with a glance from his friend. Sesshomaru glared at him for a moment before looking back at his book.

"Ṭarkī mujhē batā'ō." Koga said.

**(Tell me the turkey.)**

Sesshomaru sighed.

"You said that wrong." He informed Koga.

"Tell me how to say it right then, smart-ass." Koga said with a smirk.

Sesshomaru had taken many language classes in his life, including Hindi. Koga was still learning the language, but he thought that he was getting better.

"Mujhē saca batā'ō." Sesshomaru said fluently. "And no."

**(Tell me the truth.)**

"Why not?" Koga asked.

"Because I don't have any." Sesshomaru replied.

"Liar." Koga said.

"And how would you know?" Sesshomaru asked, glancing up at his friend once more.

"Because I know you, and I know when a person's in love." Koga replied. "I mean, _hello-o-o_! Remember Ayame?"

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"Now tell me the truth." Koga said.

"No."

"Come on, man! It won't kill you."

"I never said it would, nor did I ever imply it."

"Just tell me."

"No."

"Come on! Tell me!"

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm your friend. Friends tell each other stuff."

This caused Sesshomaru to pause. Hadn't Kagome said something similar to him once? What really caught his attention was the fact that Koga had called them "friends". Were they friends? He'd never really thought about it before. For the longest time, he'd considered Kagome his only friend. Could he have been wrong?

"Come on, Sesshomaru. Nothing you say will ever leave this room, I swear." Koga said.

Sesshomaru hesitated. He really didn't think this was a good idea. Not. At. All. When he didn't reply, Koga decided to take that initiative and start the conversation.

"Do you like Kagome?" Koga asked. "And I want the truth this time."

Sesshomaru sighed softly in defeat.

"Yes…" He finally said.

"Do you love her?"

He hesitated again. Did he love her? He knew he liked her, but he wasn't sure if his feelings were _that_ strong.

"I don't know." He replied honestly.

"So when are you going to tell her?" Koga asked. "She has a right to know."

"I'm _not_ telling her." Sesshomaru said firmly.

"You weren't planning on telling _anyone_ were you?" Koga asked.

He shook his head.

"Any particular reason why?"

Sesshomaru shrugged. Sure there were reasons, but none that he wanted to talk about.

"You need to tell her." Koga said. "She won't be single forever."

With that, he got up walked out of the room leaving Sesshomaru alone with his thoughts.

**A/N Sorry it took me so long to update guys. I've been busy with school, particularly my art project. Plus I've also been working on other stories as well. **


	23. Solved

"I don't see him anywhere."

"I'm sure he's here somewhere."

"But I don't see him."

"Just keep looking."

"…Nope. Still nothing."

Sesshomaru sighed. Why was she being so impatient? Maybe it was excitement. He honestly couldn't tell. Much to his relief, he spotted his father a few minutes later. He raised his hand in greeting, successfully catching his father's eye. Toga quickly made his way over to them, a wide grin on his face.

"Thanks for meeting me here." Toga said. "Damn bastards stole most of my money. I couldn't afford the cab."

"It's fine." Sesshomaru replied.

"Who stole your money?" Kagome asked.

"I don't know. Probably some stupid teenager." Toga said.

"Why didn't they just take the whole wallet?" She asked.

"He doesn't carry a wallet." Sesshomaru replied.

"Why not?" She asked.

"For this exact reason. You never know when or where a pickpocket might strike." Toga replied.

"True." Kagome said with a grin.

After their brief conversation, Sesshomaru called a taxi. They rode over to the school and he paid the driver before leading the way to the dormitory. Kagome spoke the whole way.

"Over there is the English building, and behind it is the field where they do soccer, football, and exercises for track and field. A little ways beyond that is the baseball diamond or whatever it's called, and the track for P.E. and stuff is next to it."

Toga motioned for her to continue.

"The tennis courts are over there next to the gym, and the basketball court is in the gym. The locker rooms are on the other side, so you can't see them from here. The next to the English building is the library, which has three floors plus a computer lab. The building to the left of it is the Art building, and…"

She continued her verbal tour until they finally reached the dormitory.

"And last but not least, the dormitory." She announced with a grin.

"Wow. That looks pretty good." Toga said.

"It is. It's really nice." Kagome agreed.

They walked inside and Kagome once again gave the grand tour. Once that was done, they walked up the stairs to their room. Sesshomaru unlocked the door and they all walked inside. After giving Toga a brief tour of most of the dorm, Kagome hopped in the shower.

"So?" Toga asked once the water started running.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked.

"What's going on with you and Kagome?"

Sesshomaru sighed. Why did everyone keep asking him that? First Koga and now his father… Was it really that obvious?

"Nothing. We're just friends." He replied.

"Uh-huh." Toga said disbelievingly.

"I'm serious." Sesshomaru replied, his face and voice completely deadpanned. "We're just friends. Nothing more."

"If you say so." Toga replied with a sigh.

Sesshomaru didn't reply.

"Hey, I haven't seen your room yet." Toga said, purposefully changing the subject.

Sesshomaru blinked and led the way down the short hallway and to his room. He opened the door and stepped aside so that Toga could go in. Toga looked around, taking everything in. Up against the far wall was Sesshomaru's bed. There was a small nightstand next to it, and his phone and a book were sitting on top of it. A few inches to the left was his desk. It had numerous journals, books, papers, pencils, pens, and other things scattered all over the surface of it. It was clear that he'd been working on something very complicated and time consuming. Toga knew better than to touch anything. Across from the desk (on the other side of the room) was a large bookcase. It was jam-packed with books. It was clear that his son needed another bookcase. Leaning against the wall next to it were some very familiar things. There were two guitars (one acoustic, one electric) and a violin case. There was a small shelf above them that held Sesshomaru's flute case. For a brief moment, Toga wondered where his son's laptop was. He knew he had one. After all, Toga himself had given it to him. He soon spotted it sitting on Sesshomaru's bed. He turned back to Sesshomaru and smiled approvingly.

"You need a bigger room." He said with a smile.

Sesshomaru just shrugged, though he did agree.

"So what were you working on over there?" Toga asked, gesturing with his head in the direction of the desk.

Sesshomaru glanced over at it and shrugged again.

"Just a math problem." He replied.

Toga walked over to the desk and examined some of the things his son had written down.

"That's one hell of a math problem." He muttered. "How do you _do_ that?"

Sesshomaru replied by shrugging yet again. He really didn't feel like explaining it. Besides, it was far from solved. He doubted he'd be able to finish it anytime soon. Thankfully though, he didn't exactly need to keep his papers in order. Or even keep them at all for that matter. He had a near perfect memory (something inherited from his father), so he didn't really feel the need to keep those papers for anything. He wasn't even sure why he still had them sitting there.

"What exactly are you trying to solve?" Toga asked.

"Do I really have to explain it?" Sesshomaru asked.

Toga laughed a little.

"No, I suppose not. I probably wouldn't understand it anyway."

Sesshomaru smiled a little. His father's carefree, happy attitude really had a way of rubbing off on people. Toga, for whatever reason, continued to study Sesshomaru's work. Sesshomaru watched him, wondering what he was doing. After several minutes of silence, Toga spoke up.

"Hey, is this supposed to be a strict inequality sign?" He asked.

"Huh?" Sesshomaru asked as he walked over.

**(A/N A strict inequality sign looks like this: two greater than or less than signs put close together. It means much less than or much greater than.)**

Sesshomaru quickly examined his work, a frown appearing on his face.

"No. It's not." He said, answering his father's question. He quickly grabbed a pencil and erased the symbol. He put in the correct symbol and scanned his papers for any other errors. After a brief moment, he sat back, satisfied that he'd done nothing else wrong. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. That was it. The reason why he hadn't been able to solve the problem.

'_And he figured it out…'_

He was shocked by that fact. His father openly admitted to being horrible at math. So how…? Toga's chuckling snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Wow. I can't believe I figured that out." Toga said. "_Me_ of all people."

Sesshomaru smiled a bit.

"It _is_ pretty unbelievable." He said jokingly.

Toga glared lightly at him before laughing again.

"Come on, I think Kagome's done now." He said, leading the way out of the room. "If she is, then you can make something for dinner."

Sesshomaru sighed softly before following.

'_Like father, like son…'_ He thought, remembering his brother. _'If he gets hungry enough, he'll probably eat enough to feed small African nation…'_

**A/N Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I recently got hooked on a game, so… yeah.**


	24. Admit It

"Food…" Toga moaned from where he sat in the living room.

"It's almost done." Sesshomaru replied calmly from the kitchen.

"But I'm _starving_…"

"You'll live."

"Ugh… So hungry…"

Sesshomaru inwardly sighed.

'_He is _definitely_ Inuyasha's dad…'_ He thought.

Just then, Kagome walked into the kitchen.

"Watcha cookin'?" She asked.

"Chicken." He replied.

She took a deep breath and sighed.

"It smells _wonderful…_" She said.

He felt a tiny bit of pride at her compliment. He couldn't help but feel happy that she'd praised him like that. Forcing himself to concentrate, he pulled some things out of the cupboard and began to make some mashed potatoes. While he was doing that, Kagome spoke up again.

"Anything I can do to help?" She asked.

"Could you get the vegetable steamer out?" He asked, never once looking up from his task.

"Sure." She replied.

She searched around and quickly located the steamer. She pulled it out and set it on the counter for him.

"Thanks." He said.

"Yup." She replied. "I'll go see if your dad is still alive."

"I'm sure he is. Though if he's not, that means more for us." He said jokingly.

She laughed a little before walking out into the living room.

"What was that about me dying?" Toga asked from the couch as she walked out of the kitchen. "You two aren't planning on murdering me, are you?"

"No! Of course not!" She said, her eyes wide.

"Kidding! I'm kidding!" Toga said.

"Don't joke about murder! It's not funny." Kagome said somewhat angrily.

"Sorry!" Toga said, raising his hands up defensively.

A few minutes later, dinner was done. They all sat down on the couch and began to eat. After a few minutes of idle chatter, Toga turned his attention to Sesshomaru.

"So will you be going to your brother's football game?" He asked.

Sesshomaru glanced up from his food to look at his father.

"He plays football?"

Toga nodded. Sesshomaru thought for a moment.

"I suppose. Though I refuse to cook for him afterward." He said.

Toga laughed.

"Deal. That boy is hard to cook for. You run out of food _long_ before he runs out of stomach space." He agreed.

Sesshomaru and Kagome both laughed a bit.

"Can I come too?" Kagome asked. "I like spending time with you guys."

Sesshomaru felt himself grow a bit happier when he heard her say that. He couldn't help but enjoy spending time with her, too.

"Sure!" Toga said. "The more the merrier."

"When did he start playing football?" Sesshomaru asked. "He used to say that only morons played sports."

"Yeah, I know." Toga said. "To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure when he started. I never thought to ask."

Sesshomaru shrugged, not really seeming to care that he still didn't have an answer to his question. After that, they all continued eating. Not much happened during the rest of Toga's visit. He explored the campus with them, he pestered Sesshomaru about his feelings for Kagome every chance he got, Kagome found out that she'd passed her math test, and they took a short trip to Inuyasha's football game. After that, Toga had to go home.

The day after Toga went home, Kagome and Sango were sitting together at lunch. Sesshomaru had disappeared somewhere, having been dragged off by Koga. Kagome and Sango were talking.

"Kagome, you've gotta listen to this!" Sango exclaimed excitedly.

"Listen to what?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"Put this in." Sango replied, handing her an ear bud.

Sango hit the "play" button and a song began to play.

_Glory has turned to ash that swoops down into darkness  
_

_Straining everything into a deep crimson karma  
_

_I'm lost in sadness, still trying to pick myself up  
_

_Though the war ended, you cannot see a single thing_

I am always alone

The decaying flowers and the blood-filled memories

_Just like a cycle, they keep going round and round  
_

_Lamenting of flowers and the graven miseries  
_

_It is the point of no return of our silence_

_Paths keep repeating, the last dream that I had was_

_A never ending monochrome dark vision  
_

_There are no answers to these fading vows of ours  
_

_Reason is sinking into the deep oblivion_

_The darkness of the flowers and forgotten memories  
_

_Unprecedented flowers bloom and they die  
_

_The chaotic flowers and repeating miseries  
_

_The light has turned into darkness in this garden  
_

_The decaying flowers and the blood-filled memories__  
_

_Just like a cycle, they keep going round and round  
_

_Lamenting of flowers and the graven miseries  
_

_It is the point of no return of our silence_

_Please end the wrongs of this rotten world we're in,__  
_

_Lead us to the light once again  
_

_Before this world is over now  
_

_In my hand now, the thing that's left is the ash of a flower_

"Wow… Who sang that?" Kagome asked.

"No one did." Sango replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Huh?" Kagome asked in confusion. "I don't understand."

"No one sang it," Sango explained, "because the voice was generated from scratch on a computer."

"Wow… That's pretty cool. What about the instruments? Were those computer generated too?"

"No, those were actually played by someone. The same person who created the artificial voice."

"Who?"

"No one knows who her really is. His true identity is a complete secret. We don't know what he looks like, what his name is, how old he is, anything."

"Really?"

Sango nodded.

"All anyone knows is that he goes by the name Taisho. He's _amazing._ He writes books (including manga and poetry), makes anime, makes music, makes video games, and all sorts of things. He even has his own website. He's _famous._"

"That's amazing…"

"Uh-huh. You should check out his website later."

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Meanwhile, Koga and Sesshomaru were sitting at a table outside talking.

"So have you told her yet?" Koga asked.

"No. I already told you, I'm _not_ telling her." Sesshomaru replied.

"Why not? She has a right to know that her roommate is pining over her." Koga said.

"I am not." Sesshomaru replied sullenly.

"Admit, man. You're in _love._"

"I am _not_ in love."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"Am not."

"Just admit it."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I have nothing to admit to."

"Liar."

"I don't lie."

"Then you're fucking _blind._"

"Shut up."

"No."

Sesshomaru didn't reply. Koga sighed inwardly. This was going to be a very long week. But he was determined not to give up. He wouldn't stop until he finally got his willful friend to admit the truth. But actually doing that was going to be difficult to say the least.

'Maybe if I can catch him off guard…'

**A/N Taisho is actually semi-important to the story by the way. Also, the song used was called Corruption Garden. You can listen to it on YouTube or NicoSound.**


	25. The Website

**A/N I DO NOT OWN OR CLAIM ANY OF THE ANIME/MANGA, VIDEO GAMES, BOOKS, OR MUSIC USED IN THIS STORY. THEY ALL BELONG TO OTHER PEOPLE.**

As promised, when Kagome got home, she got online to check out Taisho's website.

"You've just got to!" Sango had said at lunch the day before.

She'd begged and pleaded until finally, Kagome agreed. Kagome knew her friend well enough to know that she would chew her out if she didn't check it out like she said she would, so she knew she didn't have any choice but to do it. Besides, she wasn't exactly the best liar. She'd be discovered in an instant if she tried to lie about. Not only that, but, admittedly, she _was_ a bit curious. When she got on the website, she was very surprised. It looked _very_ nice. She clicked on one of the many links and ended up in a section that listed the many anime and manga Taisho had created.

_'Soul Eater, Pokemon, One Piece, Darker than Black, Yu-Gi-Oh, Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Sonic X, Spice and Wolf… Wow… There's so many…'_

The scary thing was, she'd seen many of the anime that were listed. She'd never paid attention though, which explained why she hadn't realized they were all created by the same person. She clicked on another link, and found a rather large list of book titles.

'_Taisho must have written these.'_

She scrolled through them, occasionally recognizing titles.

_'Sandstorm, the Judas Strain, the Doomsday Key, the Black Order, the Devil Colony… The Hunger Games? Huh. That was unexpected.'_

She searched a bit more and immediately stopped when she saw a familiar title.

_'White Fang? That American novel Sesshomaru likes… I never knew Taisho wrote that… I wonder if he knew.'_

She scrolled through other things, and discovered that Taisho was also responsible for the creation of many famous video games such as Sonic, Oblivion, and Final Fantasy. She also found that she could listen to all of his music from right there on the website. There were also download links for every song, free of charge. It was pretty cool, in her opinion. She clicked on a link and began listening to a random song. About ten seconds into the song, she recognized it as Luka Luka Night Fever. It was one of her favorite songs. **(If you want to listen to it, follow this link: watch?v=PDIDgxP2QnI)** She finished listening the song and quickly began playing another one. She listened music for two straight hours before finally stopping. Sesshomaru had finally come home, and she wanted to go say hello. Koga had dragged him off somewhere almost as soon as school ended, so she'd been home by herself for a while. She couldn't help but wonder whet they'd been doing.

When Sesshomaru finally got back home, he couldn't help but breath a soft sigh of relief. Koga had been dragging him around all afternoon trying to get him to "loosen up", and he was glad that it was finally over. He stepped inside and closed the door. Before he had a chance to go to his room, Kagome came out.

"Hi!" She greeted him cheerily. "Did you have fun?"

"Koga did." He replied.

"Let me guess: he was just dragging you around all over the place again, wasn't he?" She asked.

He nodded.

"I'm not really surprised. That just seems to be how he likes to hang out." She said.

He just nodded again.

"Well anyway, I'll see you later. I have to get started on my homework." She said.

He blinked.

"You haven't started yet?" He asked, somewhat surprised.

She smiled sheepishly.

"No… I've been distracted." She replied. "Anyway, see ya."

She went back to her room, and he went to his. He was determined to have some alone time, no matter _what_ the rest of the world wanted. He hadn't had _any_ time to himself recently, and he really didn't like that. As much as he liked having a friend, maybe even two or three, he still desperately needed (and quite frankly _liked_) being alone once in a while. With a sigh, he plopped down on his bed. He lay there for a few minutes, just relaxing, before finally getting up and finishing the homework he hadn't been able to finish in class. Once that was done, he grabbed his iPod and his laptop before sitting back down on the bed once more. He put on a random song and turned his laptop on. When it was on, he opened up a newer file that he'd created a few days ago and then went online. He went typed in the URL of the website he was looking for and set to work.

Kagome was still listening to music on Taisho's website while she did her homework. She was in the middle of listening to Megu Megu Fire Endless Night when she realized that Taisho had uploaded a new song a few minutes ago. Feeling curious, she clicked on the link and began to listen.

_Is it true what they say?_

_Are we too blind to find a way?_

_Fear of the unknown_

_Clouds our hearts today._

_Come into my world,_

_See through my eyes._

_Try to understand,_

_Don't want to lose what we have._

_We've been dreaming_

_But who can deny?_

_It's the best way of living,_

_Between the truth and the lies._

_See who I am,_

_Break through the surface._

_Reach for my hand,_

_Let's show them that we can_

_Free our minds and find a way._

_The world is in or hands._

_This is not the end._

_Fear is withering at the soul _

_At the point of no return._

_We must be the change we wish to see._

_I'll come into your world,_

_See through your eyes._

_I'll try to understand_

_Before we lose what we have._

_We just can't stop believing_

_Because we have to try._

_We can rise above their truth and their lies._

_See who I am,_

_Break through the surface,_

_Reach for my hand,_

_Let's show them that we can_

_Free our minds and find a way._

_The world is in our hands._

_This is not the end._

_I hear their silence_

_Preaching my blame._

_Will our strength remain_

_If their power reigns?_

_See who I am,_

_Break through the surface._

_Reach for my hand,_

_Let's show them that we can_

_Free our minds and find a way._

_The world is in our hands._

_This is not the end._

Kagome smiled to herself and returned to her homework.

'_Someday.' _She silently promised. _'Someday, I will know you.'_

**A/N The song at the end is See Who I Am by Within Temptation.**


	26. A Horrible Day

_"Admit, man. You're in love."_

_"I am not in love."_

_"Just admit it."_

_"No."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because I have nothing to admit to."_

_"Liar."_

_"I don't lie."_

_"Then you're fucking blind."_

Sesshomaru frowned slightly. That wasn't true. He knew full well what he felt. He wasn't blind to his feelings. He wasn't in denial. He simply refused to admit it to anyone but himself. What good would it do him? He highly doubted telling someone would help him in any way. In fact, he was sure it would only make things worse, what with all the teasing and whatnot he was sure to recieve if anyone ever found out the truth. But... It didn't matter. He was never telling anyone, anyway. _Especially_ not her. She could never know... Not ever. With a sigh, he got back to work. He had to finish his homework soon, or else he'd never get to sleep.

The next day, He ended up going to school alone. Kagome had to take a few days off from school to help take care of her granfather who had apperently fallen ill. He walked silently to class, not even noticing who was following him. Before he had a chance to get far from the dormitory, someone grabbed his hood and forcefully pulled him backward, nearly causing him to fall. He whirled around. He was _so_ not in the mood to deal with _anyone_ today. He just wanted to be left alone for _once _in his life. It took him a moment to recognize the man who was standing there glaring at him. As soon as he did, his mood worsened. The man spoke a moment later.

"Are you the dick from the party?" He asked bitterly.

"That's none of your business." Sesshomaru replied coldly.

"Like hell it's not!" The man shouted.

Sesshomaru didn't reply. Instead, he turned and began to walk to class once more. He hardly took more than two steps before he was suddenly knocked to the ground. He instsantly felt a horrible, searing pain. His hand flew to his right side. There was blood. He looked up and saw the man was holding a now bloody knife in his hand. The man spoke then, a sadistic, evil grin on his face.

"You see, I don't get mad at people who mess with me." He said. "I get _even_."

He dropped the knife and pulled out a pistol.

"And I'm about to get even with _you_."

Sesshomaru swore inwardly and jumped to his feet. He barely got out of the way in time. Two shots. The pistol wasn't a very good one. It only had six shots total. If he could just dodge them all... It didn't take long before someone called the police. The authorities were there in minutes. An ambulance came too, but he refused to let them take care of him. He didn't want anyone's help. Instead, he simply went back to the dorm. School had been cancelled, anyway. He went straight to the bathroom and tended to his wounds before going to his room and laying down. He wished he could get back to sleep. Maybe then this horrible day would end faster.

Kagome was sitting in her mother's living room watching television when her program was suddenly interrupted.

**"Breaking news!" **A woman's voice on screen saidsaid onscreen.

Kagome leaned a bit closer to the T.V.

**"A man at the college in central Tokyo has been arrested. The police were called when students apparently heard gunshots near the dormitory. When police arrived at the scene, the man was already laying on the gound unconscious. One student was injured, but refused treatment. Police are working to figure out what the motive was for this violent attack, but so far have found nothing. Students are required to stay in their dorms until further notice. School has been cancelled. Police are alos searching for any accomplises, but say it seems like the man may have worked alone. Still, for their own safety, students are forbidden to leave their dorms."**

Kagome truend the T.V. off and ran into the other room. Her mother was in the kitchen doing dishes.

"Mom!" Kagome called.

"Yes?" Her mom answered turning her head in the direction of her daughter's voice.

"I have to go!" Kagome said urgently. "Someone at school was attacked! It could be one of my friends!"

Her mom nodded understandingly. Soon afterward, Kagome found herself running to the dormitory. She ran inside and immediately went to Sango's dorm. Sango's dorm room was closest, so Kagome figured it would be easiest to check on her first. She knocked on the door several times and Sango quickly answered.

"Kagome?" She asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you were-"

Kagome interrupted her.

"I was, but I heard about the attack." She explained. "Are you hurt?"

Sango shook her head.

"Do you know who was?" Kagome asked.

Sango shook her head again. A few more words were exchanged before Kagome went to check on her other friends. Koga and Ayame were also fine, and didn't know who's been hurt. Ayame was the one who'd called the police. That only left Sesshomaru to check on. She just hoped and prayed that he wasn't hurt either...

**A/N Sorry it's taken me so long to update, and also for the awful cliffhanger. I'll try to update really soon, I promise!**


	27. Don't Let This Day End

Kagome raced up the stairs to their dorm room and quickly went inside. She went straight to Sesshomaru's room and knocked on the door.

He sat up somewhat groggily when he heard a knock on his door. Just when he'd finally gotten back to sleep... He instantly clutched his side, wincing slightly in pain. With a soft sigh, he stood up and went to the door. He opened it and was surprised when he saw Kagome standing there, a worried look on her face.

"I heard about the attack." She said. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to reply. But it turned out that he didn't have to. Kagome noticed how he was clutching his right side, and immediately put two and two together.

"Oh my god..." She said.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him back over to his bed. She made him sit down.

"You got shot?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"The police said they heard gunshots." She said.

"He had a knife." Sesshomaru replied simply.

She grew upset when it seemed like he didn't even care that he was hurt.

"Why didn't you let the paramedics help you?" She demanded.

He finally looked up from the ground, and their gazes met. He seemed... upset for some reason.

"I don't like doctors." He said "And I know how to treat a wound."

She sighed, forcing herself to relax.

"Let me see." She said.

He hesitated, but reluctantly let her.

She bit back a gasp when she saw it when she was finally done unwrapping it. It was deep, and was obviously worse than it looked. She looked up at him.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

He sighed softly and explained how the "spy" from the Halloween party had attacked him. His wound was more than just a stab wound. He had been stabbed, then instead of simply pulling the knife straight back out, the "spy" had sliced sideways to free it, thus making the wound worse. To make matters worse, he had definitely lost a lot of blood. That knife was a specialized knife that demons used during wartime in a past era. It was meant for quick, violent attacks like that to maximize damage. Where in the world had that man gotten such a knife?

_'It doesn't matter.'_ He told himself. _'He's gone now.'_

After re-bandaging his wound and giving him some painkillers, she let him go back to bed. It was obvious that he was tired for some reason, and he definitely seemed to want to sleep. She couldn't help but wonder just how long he'd stayed up the night before... She quietly left the room and went into her own room. She grabbed her cell phone and called Sango.

"Kagome, did you find out who got hurt?" Sango asked.

"Yeah. It was Sesshomaru." She replied quietly, trying not to wake him.

He was such a light sleeper, and with his extra sensitive hearing, she knew he'd hear her if she spoke too loudly.

"Oh my gosh, is he okay?" Sango gasped.

"Yeah, he's okay. He didn't get shot, but apparently the guy had a knife..." Her voice trailed off.

"I swear to god, I am going to _kill _that bastard!" Sango growled.

"Sango, there's no need. He went to jail, remember?" Kagome said, hoping to calm her friend.

"Yeah... I know..." Sango sighed. "I just hate it when someone hurts my friends."

Kagome couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I know." She said. "You're overprotective."

"Damn right." Sango said with a laugh.

After a while, they hung up and Kagome searched for a way to entertain herself. After all, they were forbidden to leave the dorms right now... She ended up just playing games on her computer for a few hours before going to check on Sesshomaru. She quietly opened the door and crept over to him. He was sound asleep. She smiled. He looked so cute when he slept! She shook herself mentally, pushing her thoughts away. She looked at him, and couldn't help but think that he'd probably been awake all night long. She didn't know why, but that seemed to be happening a lot lately. He hardly seemed to be getting any sleep the past couple of weeks, and his mood had gotten noticeably worse. Whether that was related to his lack of sleep or not remained a mystery, however. She gently brushed his bangs out of his face with her fingertips before quietly leaving his room once more.

When Sesshomaru woke up, he definitely felt better. His wound still hurt of course, but at least he wasn't as tired anymore. He resisted the urge to stretch, knowing full well it would hurt, and slowly stood up. He walked over to his dorr and opened it up. He went out into the kitchen, intent on making something to eat. He was, quite simply, starving. When he got to the kitchen, Kagome was already there. Much to his surprise, she was cooking. She was making grilled cheese.

Kagome, while she wasn't a very skilled cook, _did_ know how to make simple things. She remembered asking Sesshomaru what his favorite lunch food was once, and he'd mentioned that he liked grilled cheese back in America. So now she was making some, in hopes that he would enjoy it. She smiled at him when he appeared in the doorway. He tilted his head a little, indicating curiosity.

"You can cook?" He asked, unintentionally quoting her the first day she'd learned that he could cook.

She smiled a little wider and answered him.

"Somewhat." She replied. "Simple stuff like this, yes. Stuff like chicken and steak and stuff, no."

He didn't reply. Instead, he simply watched her. He was perfectly content just watching her enjoy herself like this.

She smiled inwardly when she realized that he was in a better mood now than he had been recently. She quickly finished the grilled cheese and put a couple of them on a plate for him. By the time she'd finished serving herself, one of his sandwiches was mysteriously gone. He practically devoured the other one soon after. She nearly laughed.

"Goodness! Someone was hungry!" She teased with a laugh.

He glared lightly at her, causing her to laugh a little harder. He sighed and put his plate in the sink. He was about to go back to his room when she stopped him.

"Wait!" She said. "Stay out here with me."

He looked at her, unsure if he really wanted to.

"Please?"

He sighed inwardly, relenting. She smiled and quickly finished her lunch. When she was done, they went to the living room. She turned the T.V. on and began to play a movie. By the time it was over, he was sound asleep again, his head resting on her shoulder. She smiled at him and sent a silent prayer to the heavens.

_'Don't let this day end.'_


	28. No More Fairy Tales

**One month has passed.**

"Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

"I'm coming!"

Sango dumped her lunch tray into the trash and she and Kagome took off.

"Wait, I have to go to my locker!" Sango said.

"Okay, but hurry!" Kagome said.

"I will! See you later!"

"Bye!"

Without another word, they both took off.

_'Stupid!' _Kagome thought angrily as she sprinted to class.

Somehow, neither of them had heard the bell ring _or_ noticed everyone leaving the cafeteria. Now they were both running _very_ late. She just hoped she didn't get a tardy... She sprinted another few feet, threw open the door, and practically dove into her seat a split second before the bell rang. She inwardly heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Now she wouldn't get a tardy... No one seemed to notice her rather dramatic entrance. Not even Sesshomaru. He was far too absorbed in what he was doing. He was reading a new book. Again. He seemed to have anew book everyday. Honestly, she was rather glad for the separation. After what had happened a few weeks ago, she'd been doing her very best to avoid him, and vice versa.

**FLASHBACK**

"Why does she always have to call me about these things at the last minute?!" Kagome muttered as she sprinted toward the dormitory after school.

Her mother had called her a minutes ago, reminding her that her grandfather's birthday party was today, and she needed to come if she could. Well she could, therefore she would. Better to do that than have her grandfather angry with her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't pay attention. She didn't realize that there was anyone else in the area until she suddenly slammed into someone. She fell forward, while they fell backward. Whoever it was, they'd obviously been facing her. They hit the ground with a thud, and her mind instantly went blank. The first thing her mind registered was that she was on top of them. And then... Her eyes widened and almost literally jumped off of them. They were both immediately on their feet, staring at each other with equal shock.

_'Sesshomaru... I __kissed Sesshomaru...'_

Without giving him a chance to say or do anything (though she wasn't sure whether or not he was going to try to to begin with), she took off into the dormitory. She ran up the stairs, into their dorm, and locked herself in her room. She decided that she'd rather deal with her angry grandfather than deal with whatever was going to happen between her and Sesshomaru. She dreaded hearing him come home, but he didn't come home for the rest of the day.

**END** **FLASHBACK**

Kagome climbed the stairs of the dormitory and headed for their dorm room. She didn't have to worry about running into him. He was never home, anyway. He came home well after she went to sleep, if at all, and left well before she ever got up. Somewhere in her mind, she noticed a sort of a pattern. He didn't deal with his problems. Instead, he often simply avoided them. Sango had said the same thing about her once, but she refused to believe it. She didn't avoid her problems. She just dealt with them when she was good and ready to. Not before, not after. She fished around in her pocket for a moment before pulling out her key. She unlocked the front door and stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind her. If he wanted in, he had his own key. Besides, she knew he knew how to pick a lock. She'd watched him do it once when they'd accidentally locked themselves out of the dorm. Shoving all thoughts of him out of her mind, she continued to her room. But her thoughts persisted, and she soon found herself thinking about that accidental kiss again. She shoved the thought away. Cinderella might have had her prince, but Kagome knew she would never be happy in a relationship. She would never trust any kind of fairy tale, especially one about love. Love was temporary, anyway. It lasted for a short while, but then it always ended with the two people who had once been so deeply in love with one another hating each other. And when _that_ didn't happen, one person left the other, breaking their heart. Her grandmother had done it to her grandfather. Her mother's first husband (A/N Not her father. She doesn't know him at all.) had done it to her mother. Her ex-boyfriend had done it to her. No, she would never love. She refused to make the same mistake twice. She went into her room and dropped off her stuff before getting on her laptop and going to Taisho's website. He'd been very busy lately. He was making more music than ever, and he was also doing a lot of writing. Without a moment's hesitation, she clicked on a link and began to listen to his newest song.

_How long has it been since I fell in love with you? _  
_My feelings only increase _  
_Will you notice them _  
_Even though I've never once put them into words?_

_Like the snow, they just _  
_Quietly keep accumulating_

_Hold me tight- if this is how it feels _  
_I didn't want to know _  
_What it was like to be in love with someone _  
_I love you- my tears won't stop _  
_And so I wish _  
_That I had never met you_

_How long will I be thinking of you? _  
_My sighs fogged up the window glass_

_Can a candle flame _  
_Still melt my trembling heart?_

_Hold me tight, tight enough to break me _  
_So that even in an icy wind or a blizzard _  
_I won't feel cold _  
_I miss you- every time I think of you _  
_Tonight, too, I hold _  
_This half-finished muffler, all alone_

_If there was an eternally falling snow _  
_Could it hide my feelings for you?_

_Hold me tight- if this is how it feels _  
_I didn't want to know _  
_What it was like to be in love with someone _  
_I love you- the feeling wells up in my chest _  
_I want to shout to the wintery sky _  
_"I want to see you right now"_

She was about to see if he'd written anything new when she realized that there was another song. She clicked the link and began to listen.

_Two hours after the arranged time of our rendezvous, _  
_I was still waiting alone. So that must be your answer._

_The passers-by on the street and even the floating clouds _  
_were laughing at my stupidity._

_It's so easy, and yet so difficult, _  
_for I can move on as soon as I accept reality. _  
_Unable to believe it, not wanting to believe it, _  
_I must be a clown inside your mind, aren't I?_

_Ah, I spin and spin, and am tired of spinning. _  
_Ah, my breath, my breath has run out. _  
_Yes, this is the sad end of my fate. _  
_I am still unable to reach you._

_The Earth, carrying me, spins. _  
_With an unconcerned expression, it spins._

_For just one second, I hold my breath, _  
_and, unable to say anything, I stand still dumbfounded._

_It's a coincidence, and yet also fate, _  
_for I knew it'd be better if I didn't try to find out. _  
_I felt your warmth on my skin. _  
_Your smile and your gestures are going to break me._

_Ah, I spin and spin, and am tired of spinning. _  
_Ah, I spin and spin, and am tired of spinning. _  
_Ah, my breath, my breath, my breath is stopping. _  
_Ah, my breath, my breath, my breath is stopping._

_Ah, that things will begin to change, _  
_ah, is a scary thought. _  
_I quit. I'm not waiting here for you anymore. _  
_Otherwise, I really will end up breaking._

_Ah, I spin and spin, and am tired of spinning. _  
_Ah, my breath, my breath is stopping. _  
_Yes, I am the clown that you desire. _  
_Please command me as you wish._

Kagome let out a heavy sigh. These songs were so sad! It hurt her heart to hear him express so much heartache. After a few moments of silence, she clicked on another link. This one took her to a poem he'd written recently.

_I no longer feel any emotional pain, for being bound to to a lover._  
_But what next will I discover?_  
_Over the horizon, is a new path to follow, but will I go there and take the path?_  
_Everyone around me says that they are happy, but are they really?_  
_With those tears running down their faces..._  
_Not even make up can hide those cuts in their hearts._  
_My tears have finally ran dry._

_I have been in love ever since I was a child..._  
_But now I'm free from the heartaches._  
_I now have the perfect opportunity to flee from here and start anew._  
_But yet, I hold back._

_Why?_  
_Knowing all to well that you wont come back, and I'm here left all alone..._

_As everyone is changing, I remain the same._  
_Like a phantom of the past._  
_With a speck of light in my heart, I make a wish._

_Now I no longer am bound to the despair._  
_And I will remain alone, but not sad._  
_I can't say for sure that I'll never fall in love again._  
_Because I'm still in love..._  
_And I don't regret my feelings for something that has ended._  
_It keeps me strong inside._

_As I'm flying away, I spot a field of flowers, and start to land._  
_I then lay there ever so quietly, I drift away..._  
_What will tomorrow bring?_

_I don't know._  
_But I'm here, and that's all that matters..._

Kagome read and reread the poem over and over again. She couldn't help it. It was so beautiful, yet so sad... Finally unable to resist, she logged into her account and typed a message in the public chat room under her username Miko.

_Why are you so sad, Taisho?_

She didn't expect to get a response.

Sesshomaru blinked in surprise when something popped up on his screen, informing him that he'd received a message. He clicked the link and read the message before responding.

_Lots of reasons, I guess._

It wasn't very long before "Miko" responded.

_It seems like there's something specific bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?_

He hesitated before replying, not really sure if he wanted to or not.

_Not really. It's kind of private._

The reply came within moments.

_You can trust me, you know. Think of me as a close friend of yours._

Still, he hesitated. He sighed softly after a moment, relenting. Maybe talking about it would make him feel better.

_It's just... There's someone that I think I may be in love with but she doesn't want a relationship, and even if she did, I know she wouldn't choose me. I guess that's the main thing._

"I can relate." Kagome said quietly to herself, thinking about the woman he'd just described.

She quickly typed a response.

_Maybe she's just not ready? Give it some time. Whatever's meant to be will happen in time._

A moment later, she received a response.

_Okay. Thanks._

She smiled.

_You're welcome._

She logged off and closed her computer.

"Whatever's meant to be will happen in time..." She said quietly.

She just hoped that, whatever the end result, she would still have Sesshomaru as a friend. She never wanted to lose him. She never wanted to end up hating him with him hating her because of some fairy tale relationship that would never work anyway. With a sigh, she exited her room. Maybe a walk would help her clear her mind.

**A/N I feel bad for taking so long to update, so I made this one extra long for you guys. Enjoy! Also, the first song was Eternal Snow by Changin' My Life (Full Moon Wo Sagashite). The second song was Karakuri Pierrot (『からくりピエロ』を歌ってみた【ヲタみんver.】). I don't know the name of the poem, nor who wrote it.**


	29. Taisho's Q&A

_**THE CHATROOM IS NOW OPEN.**_

**Taisho:**

_Hey everyone! I'm EXTREMELY bored today, so I decided to do something a little different here. Everyone's been asking me to do a Q&A session, and I finally decided to do it. Go ahead and ask away!_

**Misara1918:**

_Are you a guy or a girl?_

**Taisho:**

_I'm a guy, trust me._

**MairaE123:**

Do you have a girlfriend?

**Taisho:**

_No, and don't think I ever will. Sorry._

**MairaE123:**

_AW!_

**Kitty-Rocks:**

_How old are you?_

**Taisho:**

_Nineteen._

**Lisa_the_Lemon:**

_But didn't you say you were a junior in college once?_

**Taisho:**

_I did, and I am. I graduated from high school early, and thus started college early. I also started school WAY earlier than any of you probably did._

**Memeinternetlove1694:**

_Where do you get your musical and artistic genius?_

**Taisho: **

I wouldn't call it genius. And I don't know really.

**PIKACHUWILLRULETHEWORLD:**

_Even though you don't have a girlfriend, is there someone special out there? Something you like, maybe even love? If so, why aren't you with her?_

**Taisho:**

_There IS someone I like, but she's not interested in having a relationship. And before anyone asks, no I don't know why._

**MaiuWeiss:**

_What's her name? How old is she? Does she go to the same college as you?_

**Taisho:**

_I won't say her name or age, because I want to protect her privacy. And yes, she goes to the same school as me._

**Kara1623:**

_Have you guys ever fought with each other? If so, when was the most recent fight? What was it about? Was it physical or just verbal?_

_Sorry if I'm prying too much, just curious._

**Taisho:**

_You're not prying, really. Pretty much all of her friends know already (and she has a LOT of friends) so I don't think it'll make a difference if you guys know._

_The most recent fight was just yesterday, actually. But honestly, I'm not entirely sure what it was even about. It was mostly just her yelling at me about god knows what and me trying to calm her down and defend myself at the same time. It didn't get physical, thankfully._

**Kara1623:**

_That's awful!_

**Echo-the-Warrior:**

_Why haven't you been making much music or anything lately?_

**Taisho:**

_Eh, sorry about that. Finals are coming up soon, so I haven't had a lot of free time. Just classes and studying, really._

**Maemaemae:**

_When are your finals? Mine are next week._

**Taisho:**

_So are mine. I hate cramming, even when it's necessary._

**Maemaemae:**

_Same…_

The Q&A session went on for quite a while before Sesshomaru finally decided to call it quits. He needed to get back to studying. Plus, he was hoping to finish a new song he'd been working on before the day was over.

**Taisho:**

_Sorry guys, but I'm going to get off soon. Any last minute questions? I'll take a few more before I go._

**AkaiKatana123:**

_Are you going to upload anything tonight?_

**Taisho:**

_I'm going to try._

**StopReadingMyUsername:**

_Where did you come up with the name Taisho?_

**Taisho:**

_I didn't, actually. People just started calling me that, and I guess it sort of stuck._

**Arizonprincess94:**

_Do you have a girlfriend?_

**Taisho:**

_As I said earlier, I don't have a girlfriend and it's going to stay that way. Sorry. Anyway, I'm getting off now._

Just then, an unexpected person stopped him.

_**Miko:**_

_Wait! May I ask one question?_

He hesitated for a moment before replying.

**Taisho:**

_Okay._

**Miko:**

_Did you mean what you said? In one of your last songs, that is. About wishing that you'd never met the one you love?_

He thought about it for a long moment before replying.

**Taisho:**

_I guess… sometimes I do. Not because I don't love or because of anything she's done, it's just… I don't like feeling this way. This constant heartache is almost too much for me to bear sometimes. And this coming from the guy who's been through more physical pain than most._

_I really do love her, but it's pretty clear that she doesn't feel the same. Sometimes I feel like it would've been better for both of us if we'd never met, never knew that the other existed. Especially since she dislikes me so much and I always seem to cause her so many problems. _

_So I guess I do mean it. To some degree, anyway. _

He didn't expect a reply. When he got one, he was slightly surprised. The words they had typed made them seem a thousand years old. Full of wisdom and knowledge.

_The path of true love never runs smooth._

How very true he thought that was… And oh how he wished it weren't. But sadly, he knew it was. Nothing in life was ever easy. Nothing was ever happy and joyful and peaceful or anything like that. At least, not for long. Such things were always replaced by sadness and hurt and loneliness and pain and… Shaking his head, he closed his computer and focused himself on his studying. He refused to let anything else matter at the moment, refused to let her enter his thoughts.

It was a mistake letting her get close to him. Dropping his guard around her so carelessly. Believing even for a moment that they were friends. Thinking that he could finally be happy, as long as she was in his life. All mistakes. All stupid mistakes. And he refused to make the same mistakes twice.

He couldn't do this. Not anymore. He couldn't take the heartache anymore. Couldn't take the despair. The loneliness. The sadness. None of it. He needed to shut her out. Her and everyone else. He couldn't let anyone enter his heart ever again. Not unless he wanted to get hurt.

His mind made, he immediately began making plans to move out of the dorm as soon as school let out for the summer. It wasn't required that you live in the dorm if you had another place to stay. Most students simply preferred it because it was cheap and right there on campus. He could easily afford a small apartment. He had more than enough money to support himself. Money he'd earned from selling the many things he'd made asTaisho.

But how? How would he move out with her right there? Then it clicked. The day school let out, Kagome was supposed to go on a week long trip with Sango. That was the perfect opportunity. Shoving his thoughts away for the time being, he focused on uploading his newest song.

_Ever on and on I continue circling_

_With nothing but my hate in a carousel of agony_

_Till slowly I forget and my heart starts vanishing_

_And suddenly I see that I can't break free_

_I'm slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity_

_With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony_

_To tell me who I am, who I was_

_Uncertainty enveloping my mind_

_Till I can't break free, and_

_Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real_

_But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel_

_So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside_

_And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night_

_You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go_

_But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know_

_If I make another move there'll be no more turning back_

_Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black_

_Will tomorrow ever come? Will I make it through the night?_

_Will there ever be a place for the broken in the light?_

_Am I hurting? Am I sad? Should I stay, or should I go?_

_I've forgotten how to tell. Did I ever even know?_

_Can I take another step? I've done everything I can_

_All the people that I see I will never understand_

_If I find a way to change, if I step into the light_

_Then I'll never be the same, and it all will fade to white_

_Ever on and on I continue circling_

_With nothing but my hate in a carousel of agony_

_Till slowly I forget and my heart starts vanishing_

_And suddenly I see that I can't break free_

_I'm s__lipping through the cracks of a dark eternity_

_With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony_

_To tell me who I am, who I was_

_Uncertainty enveloping my mind_

_Till I can't break free, and_

_Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real_

_But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel_

_So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside_

_And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night_

_You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go_

_But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know_

_If I make another move there'll be no more turning back_

_Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black_

_If I make another move, if I take another step_

_Then it all would fall apart. There'd be nothing of me left_

_If I'm crying in the wind, if I'm crying in the night_

_Will there ever be a way? Will my heart return to white?_

_Can you tell me who you are? Can you tell me where I am?_

_I've forgotten how to see; I've forgotten if I can_

_If I opened up my eyes there'd be no more going back_

_'Cause I'd throw it all away, and it all would fade to black _

**A/N That song was Touhou - Bad Apple (Cristina Vee's version).**


	30. Not that Different

_I love her, and it's killing me. It that exact feeling that's making me hurt like this._

_I don't know where I stand with her. I don't know what I mean to her. All I know is that I think of her often, and I want to be with her._

_But what does it matter, anyway? She already has a boyfriend. I don't even know who he is. I don't even know his name._

_I keep telling myself that I shouldn't care, but I do. I do care. And it hurts. The fact that I care hurts._

He sighed heavily and closed his journal. Writing down his thoughts and feelings never seemed to help anymore. He didn't know why he even bothered doing it. He forced himself to focus on his studying. Finals had started already. They were almost over, actually. Unlike most students, however, he wasn't out celebrating. They weren't over yet, and he refused to get cocky just because he'd done well so far.

He continued studying for several hours before finally giving in to his hunger and exiting his room. Kagome wasn't there. She was out with her mysterious boyfriend. He went into the kitchen and made small dinner for himself. When he was done eating, he washed his dishes, dried them all, and put them away. He then went back to his room, grabbed his backpack and laptop, exited his room, locked the door, erased any evidence that he'd been in the dorm, and left.

Kagome trudged slowly up the stairs to her dorm room. She didn't know when she'd begun to consider it hers. She figured she might as well, though. After all, he was never there any more. The only time she ever saw him was in class. Whatever rift had formed between them continued to widen, and she could no longer find a reason to try to mend it. What was the point? He obviously hated her, anyway. Though she didn't know why. She was sure that he was moving on without her. Just as she was doing without him.

Maybe getting a boyfriend had been a mistake. Something told her it was. But it was too late to change that.

When she got to her room, she closed the door and sat on her bed. A wave of hopelessness washed over her. She refused to cry. Especially not over this. She pulled out her iPod and began to listen to a song. It was strangely appropriate. She hesitated for several moments before singing along.

_Quietly awakening..._

_I always, always wish_

_That these fleeting thoughts_

_Would reach you..._

_Unable to move forward across "just a little more" distance_

_The way I see before me is always blocked_

_Every time the days I want to see you but can't pile up,_

_My strong heartbeat turns into heartbreak._

_If there is such a thing as "eternity,"_

_I want to believe, even if I have to take the long way._

_Although I know that I've been hurt before because I'm clumsy_

_I won't stop; I won't give in to anyone._

_I think of you_

_And that alone is enough_

_To make the tears start to flow now_

_I always, always wish_

_That these fleeting thoughts_

_Would reach you..._

_I've known all too well about pretending to be strong._

_But since then, my doubts have vanished._

_There are definitely things I want to show you_

_And so many words I want to hear_

_I want to see all sides of you, when you laugh and cry_

_So I'll stop waiting_

_And seize my chance._

_I think of you,_

_And I feel like that alone is enough_

_To make my heart grow stronger._

_I always, always wish_

_That these fleeting thoughts_

_Would reach you..._

_I think of you_

_And that alone is enough_

_To make the tears start to flow now_

_My distant voice can't reach you now, but so that someday_

_It definitely will..._

_Believe. (la la, la la, la la...)_

_Believe. (la la, la la, la la...)_

_Believe. (la la, la la, la la...)_

By the time it was over, she really was crying.

_'God, what's happening?'_ She wondered as she covered her face with her hands.

For the first time, she managed to realize what was slowly happening. She was losing the very friend she'd fought so hard to obtain to begin with. And she didn't know why she was losing him. What in the world could have happened to make them drift apart like this? After many endless minutes, she stopped crying. In an attempt to distract herself, she got online and checked Taisho's website. He'd uploaded a new song earlier.

_In a book in a box in the closet_

_In a line in a song I once heard_

_In a moment on a front porch late one June_

_In a breath inside a whisper beneath the moon_

_ There it was at the tip of my fingers_

_There it was on the tip of my tongue_

_There you were and I had never been that far_

_There it was the whole world wrapped inside my arms_

_And I let it all slip away_

_What do I do now that you're gone_

_No back up plan no second chance_

_And no one else to blame_

_All I can hear in the silence that remains_

_Are the words I couldn't say_

_There's a rain that will never stop fallin'_

_There a wall that I tried to take down_

_What I should have said just wouldn't pass my lips_

_So I held back and now we've come to this_

_And it too late now_

_What do I do now that your gone_

_No back up plan no second chance_

_And no one else to blame_

_All I can hear in the silence that remains_

_Are the words I couldn't say_

_What do I do now that your gone_

_No back up plan no second chance_

_And no one else to blame_

_All I can hear in the silence that remains_

_Are the words I couldn't say_

"Oh Taisho…" She whispered. "It seems we aren't that different after all."

**A/N The first song is My Will by Dream. The second song is Words I Couldn't Say by Rascall Flatts.**


	31. There Is No Hate

_'I wonder where he is...' _Kagome wondered as she entered the dorm.

She hadn't seen Sesshomaru since the day school ended for the summer. After the last class was over, he'd just disappeared.

Forcing herself not to worry about it, she entered her room and began to pack for her trip with Sango. Once she was packed, she headed back out of the dorm and went downstairs to see if she could find Sango. They didn't have to leave until about ten o'clock that evening, but she still wanted to find her. When she got to Sango's door, she knocked.

No response.

"Sango?"

She tried again.

"Sango? Are you in there?"

Still no response. She sighed.

_'She must be out doing something. Guess I'll have to look for her later.' _

Suddenly, an idea came to her. What if she was hanging out with Ayame and Koga again? She decided to check and headed to Koga's dorm. She was about to knock when she heard voices. She stopped for a moment to listen.

"Are you really going to move out?"

It was Koga. But who was he talking to? Before she even had a chance to wonder, a second voice spoke.

"I don't know. Maybe."

She froze.

_'Sesshomaru...'_

Without stopping and waiting to hear the rest of the conversation, she turned and ran back to her dorm.

Sesshomaru and Koga kept talking.

"Why are you even _thinking_ about it?" Koga asked. "Don't you want to be with her?"

Sesshomaru's heart skipped a beat and his voice caught in his throat. Even if he wanted to answer, he couldn't.

"Well?"

He swallowed hard and looked away. There was silence for a long moment before he spoke.

"...Yes..." He said quietly, hesitantly.

"Then why the hell are you planning to move out?!"

"She doesn't feel the same!" Sesshomaru suddenly burst out, his voice full of despair and heartbreak. "She's shown over and over again that she doesn't want to be friends anymore. She wants nothing to do with me. She hates me. And... She has a boyfriend."

Koga was stunned into silence before he recovered and spoke again.

"Who?"

Sesshomaru's voice was quiet when he replied.

"Tanoshi."

An hour later, Kagome was still in her room, listening to her music. She was trying to forget the conversation she'd heard earlier. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was Sango, she paused her music, pulled out her earbuds, and headed to the front door. She opened it and was more than surprised to see Koga. suddenly, she found herself fervently wishing that she hadn't opened the door.

"Look, before you close the door, I have something I need to say to you." Koga said, somehow seeming to realize her thoughts.

She hesitated.

"Please?" He asked. "It's important."

She sighed heavily and let him in. They sat down on the couch and he immediately began to speak.

"Before I say what I came here to say, I have a question." He said seriously, not seeming at all like the goofy, care-free person she was so used to seeing. "What the hell happened between you and Sesshomaru?"

She surprised herself when she answered.

"I don't even know..." She murmured quietly, looking down at her feet. "So many things happened... I don't even know what started all of this..."

"Do you know what caused it get _worse_?" He asked.

"...The kiss." She said quietly after a moment.

"_Kiss_?" He echoed in shock.

Somehow, he managed to get her to explain what had happened.

"How did that make it worse?" He asked quietly after a long moment of silence.

She was quiet for a long moment before speaking.

"I never wanted a relationship." She said quietly. "I never wanted to love. Not again. I loved once, but... I ended up getting hurt. I couldn't... _can't_ bear to get hurt again."

"Then why are you dating again?" Koga asked.

Kagome sighed heavily.

"It was Sango's idea... She said that I needed to "get out there again" or something like that..." She replied. "But it was only one date. We decided that it wasn't meant be, and we broke up again."

Finally, Koga seemed to decide that it was time to say what he'd come to tell her.

"Sesshomaru doesn't hate you." He said.

She looked up at him, into his serious, yet sincere eyes.

"He loves you."


	32. Chasing Memories

_"I never wanted a relationship." She said quietly. "I never wanted to love. Not again. I loved once, but... I ended up getting hurt. I couldn't... _can't_ bear to get hurt again."_

_"Then why are you dating again?" Koga asked._

_Kagome sighed heavily._

_"It was Sango's idea... She said that I needed to "get out there again" or something like that..." She replied. "But it was only one date. We decided that it wasn't meant be, and we broke up again."_

_Finally, Koga seemed to decide that it was time to say what he'd come to tell her._

_"Sesshomaru doesn't hate you." He said._

_She looked up at him, into his serious, yet sincere eyes._

_"He loves you." _

Kagome was frozen with shock.

_'He... _loves _me?' _She thought, her mind struggling to make sense of the words she'd just heard. _'He really loves me...? _Me o_f all people...' _

"But Kagome, do you feel the same?" Koga asked seriously.

"I... I..." She stammered, unsure.

She swallowed hard.

"I don't know..." She finally managed to choke out. "I don't know."

"Yes you do." He said. "Listen to your heart, Kagome. I know you know what love feels like. You either feel it, or you don't. Which is it?"

She never replied. He left, his question unanswered, while she grew lost in her thoughts.

_'Do I love him? I don't know... God, it's been so long since I've loved someone like that. I promised I would never love again, but... Did I really break my own promise?' _

She thought back to the first day she'd met Sesshomaru, back when she'd just started school here.

_'I remember when I first met you... It happened by accident. By pure, blind chance. I didn't even want to be here, really. It was Sango's idea, after all. But when I met you... I'll admit I was entranced. I immediately wanted to know everything about you. Your favorite color, your hobbies, your deepest desires, everything. But mostly, I wanted to know why you looked so alone. Your eyes held me captive. They were closed and guarded, but at the same time, I could see the warmth in them. The love and friendliness that you were to afraid to show.' _

She smiled at the memories that were playing through her mind.

_'You were so kind to me, even though you didn't even know me. While everyone else ignored me, you stayed with me and helped me through every step of the first day of school. You even talked to me a bit. I remember in music class that day... I felt so achieved because I'd gotten you to talk so me so much, something I'd already realized you really didn't do. You helped me so much... I never realized I'd get the chance to return the favor.' _

Her eyes grew sad.

_'I remember when I first found out about what your mother had done to you when you were young. I was so angry at her, but at the same time... I was also afraid. Afraid for you. I kept wondering when or if she'd find you again. After all, she'd found you before. What would stop her from finding you again? I was so worried when you didn't seem to be getting better. And even when you did, the effects of what had happened still showed in little ways. They still do, even to this day. I can see it in the little things you do. The way you avoid eye-contact, the way you don't let people touch you or get close to you, the way you guard yourself so heavily... I never thought I'd see you take those walls down. ...But... One day, I did. That day I saw you laugh for the first time...' _

She smiled again at the memory.

_'I was finally starting to get to know you. I learned more and more about you all the time, but it was never enough. I always wanted to know more. I overwhelmed you a few times with all my questions, didn't I?' _

She laughed a little at herself.

_'I guess maybe I talk too much sometimes. But occasionally, my talking seems to help you a bit. Like when you had to do that piano solo for the concert at school. You were so proud of yourself by the the time you were done. I'll never forget the happiness in your eyes... It was so wonderful to see you so happy with yourself for once...' _

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

_'I love him.' _

The thought was so simple, yet so true, that she just had to listen to it.

_'I love him'_

She was too stunned to breathe. She covered her face with her hands.

"Oh god... I love him..." She mumbled into her palms. "And I've chased him away..."


End file.
